Roll-M: "Pleasantville" |
Movie Review
Pleasantville (starring Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, J.T. Walsh and Don Knotts; written, produced and directed by Gary Ross; rated PG-13).
Pleasantville is a fairy tale for adults. It’s important to remember that – because, like any fairy tale, this one is generally unbelievable. But if you are able to overlook its (many) flaws, the movie might be for you.
The story begins in a modern town where brother-and-sister twin teenagers from a typical ’90s broken home are suddenly whisked away (via Don Knotts and his "Sliders"-like device) into an alternate-reality universe that exists only in black and white because – suspend disbelief here, please – this is the world of the 1950s television show they’ve been watching, a "Father-Knows-Best"-type sitcom called "Pleasantville." It’s a modern spin on Alice Through the Looking Glass, as the teens enter a world where it never rains, the temperature is always 72 degrees (the high and the low), every basketball makes it through the hoop, there are no toilets, and sex – well, there’s none of that either. Quicker than you can say "Lucy, you’ve got some ’splainin’ to do," these modern kids work their magic on this town stuck in the amber of time. Black and white is slowly replaced by color – here a red rose, there a flesh-colored person. Enlightenment equals color in this not-too-subtle metaphor for the emergence of our supposed idealized culture of the ’50s into the reality of the second half of the 20th century. Here, the much-ballyhooed "family values" are turned inside out and tilted sideways.
Pleasantville is entertaining enough, but after a while, you’ll find yourself noticing the film – that is, the footage – and not the rather thin story. "Wow, look at that – some people are in color now!" and that sort of thing. Writer-director Ross (the co-creator of Big and Dave) has a point to make somewhere, but instead ends up not quite sure which one to hit, so he telegraphs several to us. The "evils of segregation" is one message – we see the "coloreds" being discriminated against by the "black and whites." Repression of women is another theme – the stay-at-home Mom is badly in need of liberation in this movie. Self-expression, sexual repression, etc. are all themes packed into this "comedy." In all fairness, there are several funny moments, but the film’s preachiness gets in the way.
Pleasantville’s main problem, though, is believability. There are obvious comparisons to The Truman Show, but this time, the whole town is on television and there are no actors. Some of the scenes bother me – like when Betty Parker (Joan Allen) is uncomfortable with her transformation to Technicolor, so Bud (Kevin Connors) touches up her makeup, enabling her to revert to gray – including her blue eyes!
Technically, the film is a superb achievement that will remain unheralded by an unknowing public. It was NOT shot in black and white, but entirely in color. Then, frame-by-frame, the scenes that needed to be in b&w were painstakingly "de-colorized," making this one of the most challenging special effects movies ever made. With more than 1700 digital visual effects shots, Pleasantville can go on record as the largest digital effects movie ever produced.
Should you see it? By all means. It’s enjoyable (I’ll resist the temptation to say "pleasant") and certainly different than most.
Three Owls (out of Five)