STARS: TOBEY MAGUIRE, REESE WITHERSPOON, WILLIAM H. MACY, JOAN

WALSH

Pleasantville is an offbeat movie about living as opposed to just existing in the world.

David (Maguire) is a bored, withdrawn teen who has fake conversations with girls, a caustic relationship with his sister Jennifer (Witherspoon) and a detached relationship with the sole parent of the house, his mum. He finds solace in a cheesy 50’s sitcom, Pleasantville (think, Leave It To Beaver, only more saccharine) where Nuclear families abound. Putting it bluntly, David is obsessed with the show.

With the aid of a special remote control provided by the suspiciously convenient appearance of a TV repairman (played to the hilt by Don Knotts) David and Jennifer are zapped into the world of Pleasantville. The world is black and white and the inhabitants of Pleasantville live out their scripted lives where everyone and everything is, well…pleasant.

Soon the influence of David and in particular Jennifer rub off on the town and people learn to think and feel outside of the script. The change is marked by the appearance of colour in the black and white world. Soon a divide forms between the black and white and the coloured people (a not so subtle metaphor).

Basically the movie itself is a metaphor for personal choice and personal freedom. The story is well thought out and the seriousness of the underlying theme is offset by the quirky humour (Fire! Fire!…Cat?).

THE EXTRAS

The Art Of Pleasantville (32:25 mins): Broken into 5 sections, ‘The Special Effects’, ‘Shooting The Film’, ‘Printing The Film’, ‘The Story Boards’ & ‘The Mural’. The Special Effects section of this doco is interesting as it shows the attention to detail required to have black & white and colour in the same scene. Apart from that the rest is for the filmmaker in waiting.

Audio Commentary with Writer, Director, Producer Gary Ross: An interesting commentary which focuses more on the themes of the movie and inspiration behind certain elements.

Music Video, Fiona Apple: Across The Universe - An interesting video set in the ‘Soda Shop’ featured in the movie. An offbeat video which fits nicely with the melancholy nature of the story.

Cast and Crew Biographies: Standard fare.

CONCLUSION

An entertaining movie with a less than subtle message and fantastic

special effects.