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10/18/08
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Pleasantville (1998)
73
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:22
Fresh:16
Rotten:6
Average Rating:6.8/10
Consensus: High production values and an original story impressed critics.
Runtime: 2 hrs 16 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Two modern American teenagers are sucked into their television set and end up living in a black-and-white fifties sitcom. Bewildered by their new world's naivete and innocence, they slowly start to... [More]
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, Jeff Daniels, Joan Allen
Director: Gary Ross
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Reviews for Pleasantville
Top CriticClick to read the article
07/21/05
Top CriticThe lighthearted fable Pleasantville takes some pointed swipes at the make-believe world of 1950s TV -- and none too soon.
11/06/02
Top CriticThere's a terrific idea at the heart of Pleasantville, and it's a shame that its creator, Big screenwriter Gary Ross, can't figure where to take it.
06/18/02
Top CriticEndearing it definitely is, so much so that it's easy to overlook the simplicity, and the sly confidence trick that gets played on us.
04/12/02
Top CriticEnds up having more on its mind than it can successfully handle.
02/14/01
Top CriticPicks up where Truman Show left off!
01/01/00
Top CriticBoth ambitious and simple-minded, Pleasantville combines technical sophistication with a rather limited imagination.
01/01/00
Top CriticA most original film!
01/01/00
Top CriticFunny for about half an hour, Pleasantville thereafter becomes an increasingly lugubrious, ultimately exasperating mix of technological wonder and ideological idiocy.
01/01/00
Top CriticThe most stunning thing about Pleasantville is the film's look, which rivals that of the year's other two most visually-impressive productions, Dark City and What Dreams May Come.
01/01/00
Top CriticMuch of the interest here is in watching how the black-and-white scenes (filmed on color stock) begin to flower.
01/01/00
Top CriticOne of the year's delights!
01/01/00
Top CriticA movie of unique ideological derangement that simultaneously demands and defies precise decoding.
01/01/00
Top CriticLush, seductive!
01/01/00
Top CriticTechnical elegance and fine performances mask the shallowness of a story as simpleminded as the '50s TV to which it condescends.
01/01/00
Top CriticWildly ambitious!
01/01/00
Top CriticSo ambitious, so clever and so satisfying in so many ways!
01/01/00
Top CriticThis wonderful film speaks volumes about prejudice, the freedom of ideas, and the joys of diversity.
01/01/00
Top CriticLatest News for Pleasantville
February 28, 2006:
Three Great Character Actors Gone in One Sad Weekend
The traditional logic that says "famous people always die in threes" was backed up with a vengeance this past weekend as we lost a trio of talented, prolific, and... More...
December 08, 2005:
Jeff Daniels Does "Lookout" Duty for Disney
Well-admired character actor Jeff Daniels will star in a thriller entitled "The Lookout" for Disney and Spyglass, a project that will mark the directorial debut of an... More...
October 20, 2005:
Breck Eisner Goes from "Sahara" to "Black Lagoon"
Breck Eisner made his debut with last April's "Sahara" for Paramount, and he'll soon be helming Universal's remake of "The Creature from the Black Lagoon."... More...
May 23, 2005:
Trailer Bulletin: Chicken Little
We've seen a handful of cute little teasers already, but ComingSoon.net brings us a first look at the all-new trailer for Disney's animated comedy "Chicken Little."... More...
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