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Pleasantville

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Pleasantville

PG-13

Released Sep 17, 1998

2h 3m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

98 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Impressed by high school student David's (Tobey Maguire) devotion to a 1950s family TV show, a mysterious television repairman (Don Knotts) provides him with a means to escape into the black-and-white program with his sister, Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon). While David initially takes to the simplistic, corny world of the show, Jennifer sets about jolting the characters with doses of reality that unexpectedly bring a little color into their drab existence.

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Critics Consensus

Filled with lighthearted humor, timely social commentary, and dazzling visuals, Pleasantville is an artful blend of subversive satire and well-executed Hollywood formula.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Great movie for high schoolers and their parents.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 27, 2010

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Joe Leydon

Variety

Ingeniously conceived and impressively executed, "Pleasantville" is a provocative, complex and surprisingly anti-nostalgic parable wrapped in the beguiling guise of a commercial high-concept comedy.

Oct 18, 2008

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Derek Adams

Time Out

An ingenious fable, screenwriter Ross's directorial debut playfully spoofs the small-minded lifestyle idealised by 'family values' advocates, and the intolerance and insecurity underlying that ideal.

Jun 24, 2006

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Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

If the ending had been more ironic than predictable, the film might have been able to beat the similarly themed “The Truman Show” in this year’s “best of” race.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 4, 2023

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Cory Woodroof

615 Film

Tobey Maguire, Joan Allen and especially Jeff Daniels are all tremendous here, and Gary Ross gives it just enough of a personality to give it an edge. Don Knotts is also doing his thing here, which I appreciate.

Sep 20, 2022

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

When characters begin to refer to "coloured people" in a film with exactly zero actual people of colour in the entire work, Ross' allegory shifts from weak to active inappropriate.

Rated: 4/10

Apr 7, 2021

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Stephen C

LOL, a parody of 1950s sitcoms!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/12/25

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Drew M

Amazing movie in the spirit of classics like to kill a mockingbird. Should be part of public school course material for English or social studies.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/04/25

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N P

"Pleasantville" is a natural, down to earth film where two widely different siblings enter into the 50s - 60s sitcom world of Pleasantville, inoffensive pleasantry and all. I was really expecting this movie to be... well, creepy. With the well documented comentary of that time period, alongside patriarchal domesticality and civil rights activism, reliving this era, as if nothing is wrong, is unsettling and downright wrong. And, that is exactly what "Pleasantville" tackles. Newly invigorated and empowered people fighting for change while closed off individuals feen hesitant ignorance, as traditional idealistic values is all they know and what powerfully best serves them. A seemingly harmless world of cartoon wonder brings out whiplash and heartbreaking realism gradually, which can make any audience member understand its message - an extremely hard thing to do without it seeming like an agenda albeit. Genuinely surprised with this easy-going yet eye-opening film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/03/25

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Dave G

So good. You'll see!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/17/25

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Rare T

This is more than just a silly little movie with some random message behind it. It is a testament to the ability of cinema to stand the test of time, not just figuratively as part of the plot, but also realistically after almost 3 decades of its making. The comedic factor is rather a satirical one, where a philosophical approach is taken and simplified in order to get the viewer to realize how weird a world we live in, how we take everything for granted, and why it’s ridiculous that we resist change. Pleasantville is not just about art and sex, but also about broadening the horizons of our collective imaginative mind. It’s a tribute to a wide array of human achievements, simultaneously posing as a critique to the reactionary backwards thinking that has absolutely no justification besides the imaginary chauvinistic borders within the mind. Above all, it is beautifully filmed, paced, and acted-out.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/10/24

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Chris P

An underrated gem. Story is powerful and moving with tons of symbolism. Color contrast via editing is on point. Set design gave the right time and feel of 50s TV suburbia. Everyone did a good job including the late Don Knotts.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/14/24

Full Review

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Gary Ross

Director

Tobey Maguire

David Wagner

Jeff Daniels

Mr. Bill Johnson

Joan Allen

Betty Parker

William H. Macy

George Parker

J.T. Walsh

Big Bob

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Synopsis

Impressed by high school student David's (Tobey Maguire) devotion to a 1950s family TV show, a mysterious television repairman (Don Knotts) provides him with a means to escape into the black-and-white program with his sister, Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon). While David initially takes to the simplistic, corny world of the show, Jennifer sets about jolting the characters with doses of reality that unexpectedly bring a little color into their drab existence.

Director: Gary Ross
Producer: Gary Ross, Steven Soderbergh, Jon Kilik, Robert Degus
Screenwriter: Gary Ross
Distributor: New Line Cinema
Production Co: New Line Cinema
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 17, 1998, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $40.6M
Runtime: 2h 3m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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