Pleasantville

I saw Pleasantville during its premiere in the movie theater, and I was captivated by both its visual aspect and the excellent screenplay, which, together with Gary Ross's directorial skill, created an amazing retro atmosphere. It's a clever, subtle comedy about the good old days and the difficulty of returning to them and idealizing them. From today's perspective, it boasts a stellar cast, but back then, Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon weren't yet stars; they were still working on it, and this piece served as a nice stepping stone for them. Their pleasant, understated acting was a joy to watch. Overall impression: 90%. (05/01/2008)

This film has a fine cast, an interesting premise, an even more interesting execution, and a script that somewhat wrestles with logic. Well, all those minor flaws added up and made me subtract one star, but I won't nitpick any further. When I first saw this years ago, I was convinced it was a critique of racial segregation and racism itself. But the world has moved on, and I feel like this film has even greater significance now. / Lesson learned: You want to fit in? Just bleat and stick with the herd. (21/10/2022)

Friendship, art, freedom, sex, and other bohemian desires of the children of the revolution wrapped in naive thinking and light racism of the American 1950s. Tobey Maguire is a perfect guide to the black and white world with his sincerity. Everything simply worked out for Gary Ross back then, and I am amazed at how quickly I started to devour his story from his hand after a few minutes, without the story rushing forward at a dizzying speed. Sometimes all it takes is to create an atmosphere and let it have its full impact. (22/11/2007)

I remembered that movie differently, but that's simply because when I was younger, I perceived completely different realities. I like how segregation is presented here, how art and its limits are presented. That is what gives the movie completely new elements for me, which elevate it quite high among what I have seen so far. Tobey Maguire fits much better in these movies than in "Spider-Man". (30/10/2014)

It’s hard to describe the joy when, after a long time, you come across a truly original film – both in the contents and the format. Pleasantville was a very pleasant surprise. There’s humour, there’s tension, there’s almost everything, including a certain allegory about the birth of an undemocratic regime. It’s very good :) (23/06/2011)