There is a lot to like about Pleasantville (1998), though there is one unfortunate aspect, but I will get to that later.  What kept my brain active while watching it is why I resisted seeing it when I was younger.  It came out before I re-dedicated myself to my Catholic Faith.  As such, had I seen it was I was eighteen, then I would have likely had a different reaction.  You could say that it was a matter of maturity, though I had a strong emotional reaction to American Beauty (1999) one year later.  When you think about it, what really is the difference between eighteen and nineteen?  I can think of nothing twenty-five plus years later.  What I am thankful for is change.  When we are stuck in the grind of our daily lives, anything that might upset that routine can be seen as a threat.  Society views Catholicism in this manner, thinking the religion prefers continuity over adaptation.  The Church does maintain tradition, but it has also responded to events over the centuries despite what stereotypes might tell you.  Pleasantville does not have a religious dimension, but it speaks to these themes and I am excited to give you my thoughts on it.

Pleasantville is a fictional television show made up for the purposes of this film.  It is set in the 1950s, and depicts an idyllic American family living in the perfect suburban locale from that period.  It is a far cry from the loud and fast-paced world of the late twentieth century during which the timid David (Tobey Maguire) lives.  The one who is not shy is his sister, Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon), who we meet at the same high school.  She is hanging out with the so-called cool kids, smoking, and getting the most popular guy to come over while her mom goes out of town for the weekend.  This interferes with David’s plans to watch an all-night marathon of the titular sitcom, which he desires to do because there is trivia during it with a chance at winning $1,000.  Since he knows the episodes from memory, he figures he will easily take home the prize.  A physical altercation takes place for control of the remote that results in it being flung out of David and Jennifer’s hands and smashing into pieces on the wall.  It is no long after this happens that their doorbell rings.  At the front entrance is a TV Repairman (Don Knotts), which is hilarious on a number of levels.  His solution, despite being uninvited, is to give the teenagers a special device for managing the television and to be on his way.  Immediately, another fight breaks out over the clicker that leads to them being sucked into the episode of Pleasantville currently on the display. Everything is in black and white, and the TV Repairman says he is going to give the siblings a few days there to work on their problems.  Luckily, they step into the roles of the family’s children, with David as Bud Parker and Jennifer as Mary Sue Parker.  To hopefully avoid any confusion, I will still refer to them by their non-show names.  It is David that first accepts what has happened, and he does his best to calm a distraught Jennifer as they walk to school.  He explains they need to go along with the program (ah, double meanings) and not upset the natural order.  None of this means much to her, but what cheers her up is seeing Skip Martin (Paul Walker).  He is the captain of the basketball team and he wants to take Mary Sue, meaning Jennifer, on a date.  She sours on the idea, believing it will be something less risqué than her usual outings with boys, but she is convinced by David to go through with it.  Jennifer and Skip end up at Bill Johnson’s (Jeff Daniels) burger and malt shop where David is also an employee.  Seeking to add some raciness, against David’s wishes, Jennifer convinces Skip to take her to Lover’s Lane.  Once there, they do things of a sexual nature (which are not shown, thankfully) that Skip would have never conceived of doing.  Upon dropping her off and driving away, he sees a rose that appears red, a color he had never before seen.  The next day at basketball practice, Skip is telling his teammates about the previous night’s activities.  This is when things begin to spiral, with the team missing most of their shots and Lover’s Lane becoming the most sought-after place in town.  You see what happens when you engage in pre-marital sex?  Though David had been resistant to meddling, he sees the effect it is having on many of his peers.  He also becomes somewhat of a leader.  Following Jennifer teaching Betty Parker (Joan Allen) how to, er, pleasure herself, which causes the tree in the front yard to burst into flames, David is the only around who reacts in the proper manner.  This makes him a local hero, and brings the attention of Margaret Henderson (Marley Shelton).  Words on pages of books, which had been blank prior to this, begin appearing.  David introduces Bill to painting, and it becomes one of his passions.  The other is Betty, and she spends an evening with him having a portrait done of her instead of staying home and cooking dinner for George Parker (William H. Macy), his wife.  This brings her to color, which she tries to hide from her husband.  As this drama unfolds, David takes Margaret to Lover’s Lane, which has become a paradise.  During their time there, it begins to rain, which is something that has never happened.  This storm, and Betty’s disappearance, causes George to seek out the mayor, “Big Bob” (J. T. Walsh).  He is part of a group of citizens who do not like the changes taking place.  In fact, they attempt to institute a series of discriminatory laws against anyone displaying hues other than black, gray, or white.  David sticks up for the so-called “colored,” becoming one of them.  After he and Bill paint a mural on the side of police station, they are arrested.  A trial is set up with Big Bob presiding, and David gives an impassioned speech about embracing change that alters the complexion of everyone present, including Big Bob.  With this, Jennifer decides to stay and go to college, where she has a better chance of acceptance since her grades in the real world are not good.  Meanwhile, David returns to his living room to cheer up his mother (Jane Kaczmarek), who is sad and missing her ex-husband.

Pleasantville is, well, a pleasant viewing experience, though as a practicing Catholic I must quibble about sex being the primary gateway to seeing the world in a different light.  As I have discussed in other reviews, intercourse is something the Church teaches should be reserved for a husband and wife.  This is because the act is about more than being solely about the physical pleasure, which is something the Church also teaches is to be shared among married couples.  There is nothing wrong with enjoying your spouse’s body, but the “more” part is the procreative side, which biology will tell you is what happens under the right circumstances.  In doing so, we take part in God’s work of creation, which is a better way of opening yourself up to new things in the world.  Welcoming a life into your family comes with a whole host of alterations that are beautiful, even if they do not seem so in the day-to-day struggle.  What is interesting about the movie, particularly from a Catholic perspective, is what happens to Jennifer.  Before arriving in the town, she thought the only way to know her worth was by behaving promiscuously and gaining the attention of others.  It is only after she begins practicing abstinence that she becomes colorized.  Others who are familiar with the film might argue that it comes with her newfound interest in books and learning.  Yet, she is reading for a few scenes and still monochromatic.  It is not until Skip tries to lure her outside for more sexual escapades and refuses that she returns to her proper hue.  Unfortunately, the movie seems more intent on saying that breaking from sexual constraints is what does it for most people in town, but there are a few other instances like Jennifer than can satisfy this Catholic.  Another is David’s experience standing up to bullies.  Granted, he does not do so in the most Christian way, punching somebody, but his true power is persuasion.  God’s way is a varied way, as colorful as the rainbow, which has traditionally been a symbol of His presence.  I accuse most of society of being like Big Bob, who wants everything their way.

Despite the problems I mentioned with Pleasantville, I still think it is an important movie to see.  There are some plot holes, too, and some unresolved threads.  For example, how is David going to explain to his mom where Jennifer is once she realizes her daughter is gone?  As such, this film needs a sequel, though I doubt that will ever happen.  In the meantime, we will always have the original.