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 .
Output: P