Pleasantville

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Pleasantville

PG-13

1998

2h 3m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

85%

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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Jared Richards

The Age (Australia)

Aug 10, 2026

4/5

A simple, gorgeous visual metaphor is central to this ’90s drama, where Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire play teenage twins sucked into Pleasantville – an idyllic, low-stakes black and white sitcom from the 1950s.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Dec 27, 2010

4/5

Great movie for high schoolers and their parents.

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Joe Leydon

Variety

Oct 18, 2008

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.

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Joshua Tyler

Giant Freakin Robot

Jun 23, 2026

Stop trying, stop striving, seek pleasure. Whatever happens happens. Roll over and take it. Expect nothing and seek only pleasure.

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Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

Oct 4, 2023

3.5/4

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.

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Cory Woodroof

615 Film

Sep 20, 2022

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.

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TheFilmCritics

@TheFilmCritics Aug 30, 2026

Pleasantville is a film that makes its ideas glow. Its meticulously designed black-and-white world, gradually invaded by purposeful bursts of color, turns visual style into a remarkably effective language for emotional and social awakening. Strong character arcs, lively performances, and an inventive story give its exploration of repression, censorship, prejudice, and self-expression genuine weight without drowning in exposition. The film’s chief weakness is that its social commentary is almost as stark as its monochrome setting, often reducing complex issues to tidy battles between progress and tradition. Some authority figures feel overly cartoonish, while an uneven tonal shift, a few awkward camera choices, and lingering plot holes undercut an otherwise polished production. Yet its sincerity, craftsmanship, and memorable central metaphor easily outweigh those shortcomings, making Pleasantville a thoughtful, visually distinctive, and enduringly charming piece of cinema.

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Donn A

@RT58687407 Jun 18, 2026

just saw this again and it still feels the same. just pleasant indeed

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Matilda L

@Varga Jun 12, 2026

Great film, on many levels.

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emanuele A

@Mr.Kiav Jun 5, 2026

Film delizioso. L'atmosfera anni '50 è bellissima, trama fresca e riflessiva con attori di livello che fanno bene il loro lavoro. Un film che nel 1998 anticipava i tempi di vent'anni e questo lo ha penalizzato perché poco capito.

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Paul E.

@PassoutTomatoes Mar 13, 2026

Unwatchable, boring, nonsense. And Tobey McGuire seems to kill any joy it could have delivered.

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Harvey B

@HarveyBall67 Feb 20, 2026

Yeah it was a skibidi sigma rizz movie that had bully maguire mogging everyone and made the colourless ones look as if they were jestermaxxing. Very Ohio Gyatt movie would reccomend.

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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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16%

67%

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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: Steven Soderbergh, Jon Kilik, Robert Degus
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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