if there 's one thing in common about all of hollywood 's major studios , it 's that their productions are moving toward mainstream more and more .
although twentieth century fox and new line cinema have spawned subsidiaries which specialize in independant or controversial motion pictures ( fox searchlight and fine line respectively ) , it 's obvious there 's no significant movement underway to promote inventive ideas at the theater .
so when a movie like gary ross ' pleasantville comes along , wrapped in a blanket of innovative ideas and served up on a platter of fine production ,
it 's a welcome change of pace for all who frequent the cineplexes .
although the atmosphere and buzz about the movie are cheery and lighthearted , pleasantville should not be mistaken for a no - thought movie .
quite the opposite is true , in fact , as director ross
skillfully brings a narrative with intense and intelligent undertones to the screen .
the story , both about the joys of living life to the fullest as well as the social ills of segregation , captures the essence of statement - making in the cinema .
not in recent memory has a movie carried such weight of theme into widescale distribution , and even if mass audiences fail to see the ingenuity of ross ' work , it is still a testament that his picture was considered worthy enough .
kudos to both he and his production staff for putting together this fine picture .
it stars tobey maguire and reese witherspoon as two nineties teenagers who , through quite a bit of luck , find themselves zapped into a fifties sitcom named " pleasantville .
" maguire , as the reserved bud parker , is perfect for the pseudo - world ; but the rebellious mary sue ( witherspoon ) is not at all made for the father - knows - best times .
it 's not long before she sets the town of pleasantville on end , and begins to teach the townspeople - in a quite unlikely way - what life is * really
* like . soon hues of color creep into the black and white world , and while some embrace the change in the passion of realism , others fear the strangeness .
at one end is a soda shop owner - turned - painter named mr .
johnson ( jeff daniels ) and at the other end is a close - minded mayor ( j . t . walsh ) and his chamber of commerce ; but the two sides are simply fronts for a clash of ideas that soon involves the entire town .
fine performances are turned in all around . maguire and witherspoon are effective as the leads , but the true complements go out to jeff daniels and
j .
t .
walsh ( in his latest and final posthumous performance ) .
daniels brings an atmosphere of awe , inspiration , and hope to his character , whereas walsh simply drips of sinister closemindedness - almost to the point where you can sense gene hackman 's envy . for daniels ,
it 's his most commendable performance of the last three years - or more - and for walsh , it 's a complementary exclamation point on a fine career .
also of lesser note is the supporting role by joan allen , and in viewing the entire cast works well together from start to finish .
there 's not much to dislike about pleasantville , and its dynamic nature makes it the perfect movie for those who want serious as well as those who do n't .
the entire cast works well together from start to finish skillfully brings a narrative the true complements go out to wrapped in a blanket of innovative ideas and served up on a platter of fine production are effective as the leads brings an atmosphere of awe , inspiration , and hope to his character it 's a welcome change of pace its dynamic nature makes it the perfect movie kudos to both he and his production staff for putting together this fine picture there 's not much to dislike captures the essence of statement - making in the cinema it 's his most commendable performance of the last three years fine performances are turned in all around