Watching TV with my young son the other day, I wondered what kind of perfect world he imagined himself in as the fictional characters glided toward their happy ending. Did he want to join Arthur’s family? Or Caillou’s? Or hang out with the happy, bumbling pets in “Kipper”?
That’s the question at the heart of “Pleasantville,” a utopian movie for teenagers and their parents. Of course, in “Pleasantville,” it’s only a few blocks’ walk from utopia to dystopia, and that’s what gives the Gary Ross film such richness.
Tobey Maguire’s character in “Pleasantville” toils in an unhappy family, and he escapes with reruns of a black-and-white small-town TV show. A mysterious remote control gives him and his sister (Reese Witherspoon) the chance to live in Pleasantville, and off they go.
They soon find life in an absence of color is not quite so, well, pleasant. The townspeople secure their consistency by shutting out all discovery and emotion. You may never get mugged in Pleasantville, but you’ll never fall in love
or encounter a disturbing idea, either.
The film uses form to elegantly reinforce function. Color seeps into this black-and-white world at the most unexpected moments, and for the most provoking reasons.
“Pleasantville” never lets allegory overwhelm plot — there is plenty of prejudice and heroism to contemplate once the movie is done, but the story itself also lingers. The cast is an ensemble of fine work by Maguire, Witherspoon, Joan Allen, Jeff Daniels and William H. Macy.
Parents who haven’t seen “Pleasantville” should be forewarned that it’s PG-13 rating allows for implied sex and apparent masturbation. It’s all handled very tastefully, and it’s central to the story, but there’s no sense shocking the family unnecessarily.
