Intermission

'Pleasantville' turns out to be one of the year's best, and surely most inventive, films.

by Jim Wunderle

"Pleasantville"

Directed by: Gary Ross

Starring: William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Reese Witherspoon, Tobey Maguire

Rated: PG-13

Cable TV "narrowcast" networks like Nick at Night, TV Land and the Game Show Network have proven there's an audience out there for television nostalgia. Myself, I have sort of strange TV habits.

I've never seen one moment of "ER" or "LA Law" and didn't even watch "Seinfeld" until it showed up in syndication. On the other hand, I'll watch an episode of "The Andy Griffith Show" that I've seen dozens of times and have recently gotten some strange comfort from watching reruns of such spectacular trash as "Match Game '7" (the star-studded "Match Game '73," I should say.)

There's just something soothing about seeing Gene Rayburn, all double-knitted up, presiding over a panel of half-baked celebrities who all seem to be half-crocked, as well.

I mention this because, David, the main character in "Pleasantville" is sort of in the same boat. Trapped in a complicated world of broken homes and high school angst, he finds solace in watching an old TV show from the '50s called "Pleasantville."

In the town of Pleasantville, which is much like a combination of Mayberry, Mayfield (where Beaver lived) and the ever popular Springfield (home to the Andersons of "Father Knows Best," not to mention the Simpson family) it never rains, the basketball team always wins and having sex amounts to holding hands. Dads come home from work promptly at six, announce "Honey, I'm home" and everyone has dinner. Usually it's meatloaf.

All of this begins to change when David and his slightly oversexed twin sister, Jennifer, get zapped into the show, becoming two of the main characters.

Jennifer shows her boyfriend that more can go on at Lovers' Lane than holding hands, while David encourages his boss at the malt shop to pursue his love of painting, not to mention his love of David's (TV) mom.

Gradually, color begins popping up around town. Some people actually begin to acquire fleshtones and soon the town folk find themselves in the midst of turmoil between the "regular" people and the "coloreds."

First-time director Gary Ross gets a bit heavy-handed in the third act, but for the most part, "Pleasantville" is great fun, and somewhat reminiscent of the themes Ross explored in his screenplay for the Penny Marshall movie "Big."

Add to the inventive story a perfect cast (Don Knotts shows up, and the late character actor J.T. Walsh makes a great mayor) and some ambitious special effects, and "Pleasantville" turns out to be one of the year's best, and surely most inventive, films.

(Jim Wunderle works at Associated Video Producers and is a Springfield free-lance writer and musician.)

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