Pleasantville (1998)

"An ingenious fantasy...great fun!  Janet Maslin, The New York Times
"...excellent performances and striking visual design...  Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide
"...one of the year's best and most original films...  Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Editor's Note Two modern American teenagers are sucked into their television set and end up living in a black-and-white fifties sitcom. Bewildered by their new world's naivete and innocence, they slowly start to add color and spice to the town's life. Eventually, however, they begin to question their influence, wondering if their advanced 90's attitudes are really that much better than those of the innocent past. Sterling effects and stand-out performances make this commentary on modern life a poignant, entertaining effort.

	Don Knotts
	J.T. Walsh
	Jeff Daniels
	Joan Allen
	Reese Witherspoon
	Tobey Maguire
	William H. Macy
	Gary Ross - Director
	John Lindley - Director of Photography
	Randy Newman - Musical Score
	Gary Ross - Producer
	Gary Ross - Writer

Rolling Stone
"...The film is a technical marvel....A visionary adventure..." 11/12/1998 p.121-2

Sight and Sound
"...PLEASANTVILLE's ideas are visual and cinematic as well as theoretical, making it glorious entertainment..." 03/??/1999 p.49-50

Total Film
"...Gorgeous effects and a top-notch cast....A funny, feelgood Hollywood movie..." -- 4 out of 5 stars 10/01/1999 p.98

USA Today
"...Visually impressive..." 11/20/1998 p.6E

New York Times
"...[An] ingenious fantasy....Ms. Witherspoon turns in a deliciously naughty performance..." 10/23/1998 p.E23

Box Office
"...Winsome and witty....PLEASANTVILLE cleverly satirizes those who preach the values of rigid family values and conformity..." 11/01/1998 p.138

Los Angeles Times
"...Color and black and white exist magically and seamlessly in the same frames....PLEASANTVILLE further illustrates how limitless the future is for the inventive use of new technologies..." 10/23/1998 p.C1

Dallas Observer 8 of 10
[Writer/Directorr Gary Ross has] taken the ancient comedy riff of the fish-out-of-water and refashioned it as a hilarious but surprisingly dark allegory about sexual repression and social intolerance. The satiric messages sneak up on you, but they arrive just the same... this uncommonly clever, surprisingly poignant fairy tale packs a social wallop that we're not quite prepared for. - Bill Gallo

Boxoffice Magazine 8 of 10
...William H. Macy and Joan Allen are impeccable, nailing their characters' obliviousness without dehumanizing them... Pleasantville cleverly satirizes those who preach the virtues of rigid family values and conformity, but avoids controversy by wrapping its message up in a delightful and brilliant special effects-laden package. - Shlomo Schwartzberg

San Francisco Examiner 7 of 10
Maguire and Witherspoon are outstanding as the youngsters; and Macy and Allen are a fine casting stroke, with Allen in particular bringing touching overtones to what could have been a one-note role. Daniels also offers unexpected poignancy. The director and special-effects team also deserve credit for their handling of color; not only is it technically remarkable but it becomes a key element in the story-telling. If you focus on the slow colorization, you see less of the innocuous satire and more that's mysterious and dreamlike. - Walter Addiego