Pleasantville

Pleasantville is a 1998 American comedy-drama adventure film written, co-produced, and directed by Gary Ross. It stars Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen, William H. Macy, J. T. Walsh, and Reese Witherspoon.

Summary
Two teenage siblings (Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire) from the 1990s find themselves in a 1950s sitcom, where their influence begins to profoundly change that complacent world.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) While it’s mostly a comedy and adventure film, it also tackles issues like segregating and misogyny which were a big issue in the 1950s-era which is what time and setting of Pleasantville supposed to take place.
 * 2) All of the actors performances in this movie are wonderful, especially from Toby Maguire, Reese Witherspoon and the late Don Knotts.
 * 3) The idea of two siblings getting transported in a family-friendly 1950s television show that slowly turns to color as everyone learns new things from them is very creative and original.
 * 4) Likable, interesting and relatable characters, such as David and his obsession with the 50s shows, Pleasentville.
 * 5) Amazing story and character development, mainly with David and Jennifer.
 * 6) There are many unforgettable moments in this movie, like the scenes where Pleasentville is slowly starting to turn into color.
 * 7) Pleasentville is a very accurate and wonderful representation of what life was in a small town in the 1950s.
 * 8) The characters that David and Jennifer become while in Pleasentville (Mary Sue and Bud) are also pretty likable.
 * 9) The cinematography (whether it be in black-and-white or color) is awesome and well-shot.

Reception
Pleasantville received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a "Certified Fresh" 85% rating from 94 reviews, an average rating of 7.6/10, with the critical consensus: "Filled with lighthearted humor, timely social commentary, and dazzling visuals, Pleasantville is an artful blend of subversive satire and well-executed Hollywood formula." Metacritic assigned a score of 71 based on 32 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars calling it "one of the best and most original films of the year". Janet Maslin wrote that its "ingenious fantasy" has "seriously belabored its once-gentle metaphor and light comic spirit." Peter M. Nichols, judging the film for its child-viewing worthiness, jokingly wrote in The New York Times that the town of Pleasantville "makes Father Knows Best look like Dallas." Joe Leydon of Variety called it "a provocative, complex and surprisingly anti-nostalgic parable wrapped in the beguiling guise of a commercial high-concept comedy."