I watched it for the second time. I am just now realizing how deep and bold this movie was. I remember seeing the original commercials for this flick, it looked kinda lame. But the movie itself is a subtle attack on Religion, Conservativism, Racism and the American way. It is really quite brilliant.

Anyone else see/appreciate it?

DAMNED GOOD!
Funny how it's over-looked in discussions. :confused:

Just a few references I picked up....

Don Knotts is actually God.

The part where Tobey McGuire and the girl are sitting in lover's lane and the girl picks an apple off the tree and gives it to him. OBVIOUS Adam and Eve reference. Especially where Don Knotts appears on the TV and McGuire asks what he did wrong. Don KNotts showed him the scene where he eats the apple.

Aside from the strong commentary on Racism with the color thing, there appears to be a bit about religion too. The court room scene is an inquisition not a trial. The art being destroyed, the books being burned, women being attacked.....similar to Spanish Inquisition or the Crusades in Southern France.

i saw this movie in my media class, its not bad, if u like those kinda movies, i'd rather watch sumin else but from a gy whos not to interesnted in those movies, it wasnt bad

....Yeah it was a good movie I must admit!!!

....Yeah it was a good movie I must admit!!!

HA! Closet Liberal! :p

HA! Closet Liberal! :p

....Maybe on some things. :)

....Maybe on some things. :)

On some things, being liberal is not only more fun....but its more logical.

it was a pretty good movie, worth a few viewings

All the reasons mentioned were why I didn't like it. Hollyweird hasn't cornered the market on right and wrong, but they think they have. If I want a sermon, I'll go to church. Lumping the '50's style traditional family in as racist is just plain wrong.

Same goes for the movie "American President". I thought it was neat exploring what a modern single President would go through. Then the last 5 minutes it gets all preachy. " I'm going to get all the guns if I have to go door to door to get them." Yeah, sure you will. Me and 100 million gun owners say you won't.

Pleasantville didn't stand out particularly because it resembled the superior 'The Truman Show' which came out the same year.

Pleasantville didn't stand out particularly because it resembled the superior 'The Truman Show' which came out the same year.

BZZZZZ!!!!!!! Wrong!
The Truman Show('98) and Ed T.V. ('99) were pretty similar fliks and came out very close to each other but Pleasantville was not very similar to either and superior to BOTH.
Opinion, of course! ;)

BZZZZZ!!!!!!! Wrong!
The Truman Show('98) and Ed T.V. ('99) were pretty similar fliks and came out very close to each other but Pleasantville was not very similar to either and superior to BOTH.
Opinion, of course! ;)
Of course those two movies had similar plots.

I'm sure you could remember your English compare & contrast papers from 9th grade and could dig deep and find the similarities between Truman Show and Pleasantville with their imagery, their plots about people trapped in a world who slowly learn of their plite, of the government & the religious imagery, etc...

Both were summer movies 1998

Very good movie

sidenote: did those two kids stay in Pleasentville after its society changed or did they go back to 1998

BZZZZZ!!!!!!! Wrong!
The Truman Show('98) and Ed T.V. ('99) were pretty similar fliks and came out very close to each other but Pleasantville was not very similar to either and superior to BOTH.
Opinion, of course! ;)
Another similarly themed movie (that sucked ) was Stay Tuned. Seen that one, 'Dog?

This movie was good, as everyone says, though I thought the ending was a bit of a cop-out. I'm sorry, but the world doesn't suddenly get all colourful and happy because of a couple of plucky kids show them the way. I thought it would have been a much more memorable ending if the kids lost and everything went back to black-and-white. That's just usually how things work: they prosper for a while, then fade away. I'm not trying to depress everyone, I'm just being realistic.

Still a good movie :) .

Another similarly themed movie (that sucked ) was Stay Tuned. Seen that one, 'Dog?
John Ritter, Pam Dawber & that Jeffrey dude from BeetleJuice who got busted with the kid **** as the devil?
Nope, never saw it!(jk) :D

All the reasons mentioned were why I didn't like it. Hollyweird hasn't cornered the market on right and wrong, but they think they have. If I want a sermon, I'll go to church. Lumping the '50's style traditional family in as racist is just plain wrong.

Same goes for the movie "American President". I thought it was neat exploring what a modern single President would go through. Then the last 5 minutes it gets all preachy. " I'm going to get all the guns if I have to go door to door to get them." Yeah, sure you will. Me and 100 million gun owners say you won't.

I don't think It tried to preach one way as being right. I think the crux of the message was that people suppressing their desires or whatever just doesn't work. Good or Bad. I mean it drives the wife to infidelity which I don't think the movie said was right. Because the kids were so sex deprived they became addicts, which the movie didn't say was good.

It used texts already in existance for its inspiration such as.....To Kill a Mockingbird (imagery), The Old Testament (imagery and the story of innocence), and Allegory of the Cave (Humans emerging from ignorance).

This movie was good, as everyone says, though I thought the ending was a bit of a cop-out. I'm sorry, but the world doesn't suddenly get all colourful and happy because of a couple of plucky kids show them the way. I thought it would have been a much more memorable ending if the kids lost and everything went back to black-and-white. That's just usually how things work: they prosper for a while, then fade away. I'm not trying to depress everyone, I'm just being realistic.

Still a good movie :) .

But it wasn't real world where everything suddenly got colorful....IT WAS TELEVISION.

Very good movie

sidenote: did those two kids stay in Pleasentville after its society changed or did they go back to 1998


Reese Witherspoon stayed. Tobey McGuire went back to 1998 but hinted he was going to go back to visit.

This movie was good, as everyone says, though I thought the ending was a bit of a cop-out. I'm sorry, but the world doesn't suddenly get all colourful and happy because of a couple of plucky kids show them the way. I thought it would have been a much more memorable ending if the kids lost and everything went back to black-and-white. That's just usually how things work: they prosper for a while, then fade away. I'm not trying to depress everyone, I'm just being realistic.

Still a good movie :) .

I wouldn't call the ending a cop-out. A good ending makes it a cop out? I don't buy that. As for this realism stuff, movies aren't reality, they're movies, always. Pleasantville couldn't have even existed if you take a "realistic" approach. One of my friends loves to say he doesn't like a certain movie I'll like because it isn't realistic (like Sin City). That mother ****er WORSHIPS Star Wars!!! I mean damn, how unrealistic can you get? LOL.

Pleasantville for me is one of those movies that I see once or twice and its enough for a long time. Some things I thought they were a little too preachy about, I'll agree with whoever said that. Maybe not too preachy but maybe too obvious. They beat you over the head a bit too much with theme.

Another criticism I'd have of the movie is that they made the people in Pleasantville too stupid. Just because they were beyond sheltered didn't mean they were plain stupid.

I think it is very fair to make racism a topic for the Pleasantville crew.