Pleasantville stars Tobey Maguire as David/Bud, Reese Witherspoon as Jennifer/Mary Sue, William H. Macy as George Parker, Joan Allen as Betty Parker, Jeff Daniels as Mr. Johnson, and Don Knotts as the TV Repairman.
Pleasantville answers the question: "What would happen if Wally Cleaver knocked up Princess of Father Knows Best." Pleasantville is a film that starts with two high school students, David and Jennifer, planning a weekend alone with mom out of town. David, shy and not girl wise, wants to watch the Pleasantville marathon on TV Time (Please read TV Land). Jennifer a self proclaimed slut wants to spend the evening watching an MTV concert with a boy from school. As the time for the Pleasantville marathon approaches, they fight over the remote and break it. A TV repairman appears from nowhere and gives them a special remote. While fighting over this remote a button is pushed and both teens are teleported into the 1950's TV town of Pleasantville. Of course it's black & white and everyone is the perfect person except for David and Jennifer who are now Bud and Mary Sue.
We are led threw some excellent scenes exploring the perfect and unwavering world of 1950's television gestalt. The new Mary Sue introduces plot variations as she is not familiar with the episodes. Bud is an expert and knows the way he should act. He likes Pleasantville, while his sister wants to leave. The first element that Mary Sue introduces is sex. This starts an element of angst in an otherwise unchanging world. The angst manifests itself as the appearance of color. Some members of Pleasantville remain black & white as they resist the change. Prejudice is now an element of Pleasantville.
Pleasantville gives the viewer a thought provoking as well as a clever comedic work. The acting is superb and true to their 1950's counterparts. It is definitely a must see movie for Baby Boomers or anyone who likes Leave it to Beaver, Father Knows Best, The Donna Reed Show, etc.
I give it 4 out of 5 roses: