I heard a funny story about the casting for Mr. Furley on Three’s Company. They were looking for a “Don Knotts type.” He had to let them know that he was still a Knotts type and available.
Shout-out to the new release (book) _James_ by Percival Everett which is, at its core, a retelling of the story from the perspective of Jim. It came out last month and I finished it shortly after. So good. Huck Finn is one of my all time favorite books and now it has a modern companion. Anyway. I just wanted to promote this book to those who love Huck Finn and literature in general. Recommend.
Not exactly. Big Bob didn't have the courage to change, nor did a great deal of people in the audience during the trial. It's more direct. I think Bud best describes it when he is in prison. He tells George, "Nothing went wrong. People change." George asks, "Can they change back?" Bud says, "I don't know, I think it's harder".....What Bud is emphasizing is that there are emotional transformations that we go through--which those is Pleasantville never experienced until now--that when they happen you actually become a different person. You change in a way that is impossible to "change back" because it has already altered your character forever. For Mary Sue, once she found a passion for education, she cannot ignore that passion. For Bud, once he found the ability to fight for his mother, family, etc., instead of ignoring issues by just watching Pleasantville as he did in the real world, he changed forever. We even see that punctuated in the final scene with his real-life mother. I don't have time to go through each character, and clearly there is some ambiguity and slight nuances/flaws. But this is the most logical conclusion to the color change.
@@CoryGasaway Big Bob went all full color when Bud goads him into telling him how he really feels... so I guess stopping his "pleasant" surface-level veneer of polite respectibility and unleashing some real honesty in that moment is what did it for him. It is really a great part of the movie that so many characters unlock full color life by so many different means.
@@gfox9295Pleasantville is great, but l always had one issue with it. Clearly it's a take on the civil rights movement of American BLK ppl....but there's not a single BLK person in the movie, even after they go full color. As a kid l swore l remembered BLK ppl being shown on the tv that was now showing places outside Pleasantville, and BLK ppl getting off and on the bus, but clearly I was wrong. Seems like a missed opportunity.
@@gfox9295 This is a solid reading, but I do think it would've been more powerful for him not to change, to contrast with Bill Macy's character being capable of opening his mind when Maguire confronts him to actually look at his wife for the first time. It feels like kind of a pat ending where even the villains can be reached, when the reality is people like Bob often can't be, and having him be alone in that would've been a good way to make the point, as well as avoiding the slight muddying of the plot mechanics.
Don Knotts was so underrated as an actor. One of his most touching scenes was in an episode of 'Three's Company.' The roomates had found a kitten and knew they would not be allowed to keep it. So they left in front of Don Knott's (Mr. Furley) apartment. Turns out he was a cat lover! He told the kitten how he used to have a kitten when he was a kid. They'd play together each and everyday after he got home from school and it was his best friend. His only friend. Then one day he came home from school and learned it had gotten out and ran into the street... In that moment you could see how lonely he was as a child.
The world building in this film is so immersive that I forget the groundbreaking special effects in every scene the world in black and white while a bright red fire is happening and the makeup being applied scene is just stunning the older I get.
They shot the whole thing in color and then removed color after they scanned the film. It was definitely revolutionary. I remember watching a documentary about it.
My dad worked on this, they filmed it close by using one of my rival high schools (Valencia) as Tobey's school. Years later when Paul Walker died (only about 5 minutes from the high school) my dad noted that he was a guy who was always courteous to everyone on set.
This movie hits 20, 30, and 40 year old me in completely different ways. It's relevancy today in this current climate makes this a perfect movie to react to. A strong commentary of individualism vs conformity along with a slew of other levels! This movie is underrated and needs to be watched more.
If it came out any year in the 2000s to the present, it would have been nominated for Best Picture--and it could have won some years. It was just bogged down and lost in the greatness of film that was the 1990s. I mean, it would have gone up against Shakespeare in Love, Saving Private Ryan, American History X, Life is Beautiful, The Truman Show, etc. It just couldn't stand out that year.
This! I go back to watching things in the 90s that have these themes in them and what was once a cosy blanket of me thinking, "Phew, glad we're all past prejudice and fear nowadays!" cuts into me way harder now. Reminds me of the 90s TV show Babylon 5 which was sort of the anti-Trek, which depicts the on-the-surface-good-guys human race gradually becoming more totalitarian, paranoid, aggressive and fearful of others, and where the aliens are the ones who have to help get us back on track.
The way I understand the time difference, _Pleasantville_ was a weekly show when it first aired. Therefore, one week in Pleasantville translates to half an hour (the length of the show) in the real world.
I worked on a low budget Hollywood movie as a set dresser when I first got out to Los Angeles. I remember routinely working 14 to 16 hours all night long. Crazy hours! The Producer was too cheap to pay for hotel rooms so we all drove ourselves home. Someone fell asleep at the wheel in early morning traffic and was injured, but not killed. After that, the Producer decided to pay for hotel rooms near our shooting location. I think he figured out that hotel rooms were a lot cheaper than being on the losing end of a lawsuit.
Danny Strong, who you recognized as Doyle from Gilmore Girls, is now a very successful screenwriter and tv director/producer, with two Emmys and other awards. I first knew him as Jonathan in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I've seen this movie a dozen times, and it wasn't until today that I noticed not just Danny Strong, but also Marc Blucas-two _Buffy_ alumni in one movie!
@@andrewharrison5288 Two more movies with Buffy alumni: Bring It On with Eliza Dushku and Clare Cramer, and Bye Bye Love with Eliza Dushku, Amber Benson, and Lindsay Crouse.
@@andrewharrison5288 I saw him in this reaction for a split second, but I recognized him, too: Riley! And I also know Strong as Jonathan, only thing I really do know him from. Ah, the 90s.
I remember watching him in the movie Sydney White, he plays the movie's grumpy. And then went on to realize that he won awards for the screenplays for the last two Hunger Games movies.
Oh yeahhhhhh! I also know him from Buffy. But I'm not sure I would have recognized him from his few brief moments in this reaction without your comment, so thank you!
Wonderful film. I found myself viewing it many times. It starts in a fun way but reveals itself to be rich with deep meaning. The loss of innocence, the power of change, the false perfect society, embracing one's true self. A Masterpiece.
The T.V. repair man is Emmy award-winning actor, Don Knotts who played Barney Fife in the 1960s sitcom, "The Andy Griffith Show." He also played Ralph Furley on the sitcom, "Three's Company." He's a legend and for the older generation, his appearance in this movie generates a great deal of nostalgia. R.I.P. Don.
It's not just about not conforming to the rules of Pleasantville. It's about accepting change, going against the status quo, accepting people's similarities and differences.. 29:41
I always read it through Bud's quote to George. He tells George, "Nothing went wrong. People change." George asks, "Can they change back?" Bud says, "I don't know, I think it's harder". It's when there is a change inside of you that alters who you are as a person from that moment on. You can no longer change back. The person you once were is no longer the person you have now become. Although, I resolve that it is still more complex and ambiguous than that.
Amazing, I never thought anyone would react to Pleasantville. Such a clever, thought provoking film, that challenges the mind and focuses on the way people react to unexpected change.
@@xjudoflip7381 They've both watched a ton of basketball movies... so much so, I think they may have either been fans or players (or both) back when they were younger.
@@carlywpopcorninbed9655 that is kinda what I suspected, but I didn't want to assume! I think Cassie was listing off all the basketball movies she's watched recently (probably before or after reacting to White Men Can't Jump) and she really sounded like a big enough basketball fan to have been a player once upon a time.
A fun fact about this movie is how it was made. The entire movie was shot in color and painstakingly, frame by frame, had color removed to create the b&w/color effect you see in the movie!
And everything was painted green because it translates to "better" shades of grey. Apparently if you film sets in normal colors when you convert to b&w the shades are too dark to see anything. Even the actors wore green makeup.
Back in the day, 2000 or so, we used to use "Pleasantville" as a demo in the Audio/Video store I worked in. Remember those? The scenes where some was in B&W and some in color were very well done, and helped to convince folks that maybe they did need that new TV. LOL.
I've seen them both drop their jaws at the same time before, but you're right... this was a really great example of it, and a really enjoyable team reaction.
At 13:10 and the toilet stall is empty. In TV (especially back then) no one goes No# 1 or No# 2. And even if you've never played basketball, you can shoot net shots even bouncing off the wall. In the Pleasantville universe, the screenplay are the laws of Physics!
I love this film. The cinematography is of course fantastic. However, something that is overlooked is the evolution of the music. I love that they are playing Dave Brubeck's Take Five in the diner scene when they are really exploring these new colours, reading and other new experiences.
@@douglasdavis8395 I got to sing with Brubeck with my college choir! He was like in his early 90s, not too long before he passed. I remember his thin fingers fluttering over the keys and making the most exquisite music. It was something I’ll never forget!!!
This movie got a lot of attention in my town when it came out. I live in a town called Pleasantville. LOL Our town was voted the Pleasantville most like the one in the movie.
I interpreted the part about who changed colors and who didn’t as, those who embraced the changes turned to color. Those who wanted things to remain the same stayed black and white.
@@QuestionableLifeChoices definitely some nuance in this theory. I’m guessing that he stayed black and white because it wasn’t technically out of his character to want to have sex with Reece. It’s part of being attracted to her and wanting to be a couple. In that universe, “hand holding and kissing” was kinda the sex equivalent. Adding the actual sex wasn’t quite enough change for him to turn colors.
I always thought of it as those who had something awakened inside them. In some it was a sexual awakening, but in other cases it was a love of learning, or artistic expression, or courage. Different for each person, depending on what they most needed to experience.
@@staceyalles7740 personal growth, basically, yeah. You know, for having such on the nose metaphors, there certainly are a ton of layers to this movie lol
To me the key to color isn’t learning that new/different things exist, it’s accepting that new/different things exist. It’s understanding that high/lows/unknowns are preferable to bland, blissful (willful?) ignorance and tedious pleasantness. The movie is a rejection of conformity, of “not rocking the boat,” of “going along to get along” - and pretty clearly a rejection of the _myth_ of the “perfect America of the 1950s.”
What a wonderful movie about growing up. Not just in age, but in the ability to handle taking a step into the scary unknown. Some of these very tender performances have stuck with me for years. I remember this quite fondly.
I remember seeing this movie in high school. My English teacher encouraged me to go see it. It's a one of a kind movie about about the transition from the old world to the new world. A must watch for people trying to understand why change is hard to accept for people even if they cannot stop it.
When the black and white is broken by the vivid red of that first rose - that's a great, memorable "movie moment". It's a good movie, but when someone mentions it? My mind goes to THAT scene.
this is one of my favorite movies of all time. I had it on DVD and I used to watch it a LOT back in the day. The behind-the-scenes extras on the special effects were really fascinating, giving an insight into how they did the transitions from black and white to color. thanks for the reaction, ladies! 😃
I used to always use this disc to tune the color on my TVs. I still have my DVD and blu ray. I really loved the isolated score with the Randy Newman commentary. Oh, and I bought the recently released soundtrack.
For anyone who grew up watching re-runs of the Andy Griffith Show (1950's feel good, small town comedy drama), seeing Don Knotts show up in this movie was heartwarming a.f.
I grew up in the 80s and watched a lot of Nickelodeon as a kid. By Nick at Night, my brother and I had committed episodes of Party Duke, Dobey Gillis, Dennis the Menace to memory. This movie brought me back to that.
Waaaaay more. It takes my AP Lit students days to get to some of the depths of this film. We pair with Plato's "Allegory of the Cave". They are quite similar in theme and ideas about enlightenment and change.
I remember seeing this when it first came out and expected a straight-up comedy about two modern-day teens transported into a 50s sitcom and hilarity ensues. Then it went in a direction I did not expect at all, which made it a terrific and thought-provoking movie. Props to everyone involved in the making of this movie . . . and as always, enjoyed your reactions.
This absolutely is commentary on America as it changed from the way things were in the 40s and 50s as society changed through the 60s and 70s. The advent of rock and roll music, women's rights, racial equality, the shifting values of the nation... this whole movie is a metaphor for the people willing to change with new concepts and new ideas and the people desperately trying to lock things in one place, openly violent against these new ideas and thoughts.
I think it also showcases how quickly a society can spin out of control--by the people who resist change, and will use any method to stop it, even violence when there was none before.
Don Knotts, from the Andy Griffith Show ,.... mid 50s was an award winning actor, Emmies, But then again in many movies like the Apple Dumpling Gang. He was great. William H. Macey seems always to be under rated.
This is a far better movie than most people expect. And your reaction when it starts to click is great. Also, just for fun, the behind-the-scenes of this movie is great when they explain just to what ends they went to make this movie.
I love this movie! It has so much to say. They change to color when they have a personal revelation. That's why it is so diffeeent for everyone. I'm so glad people seem to finally be discovering it!
There is a lot of meaning in this movie. I thought for a long time it mostly dealt with "change" and how it affects society. But I recently read that it's also meant to highlight the difference of how a time is perceived looking backwards and how it actually was. In this case, the 1950s are sometimes viewed as it was in the early part of Pleasentville, while in fact it included many things of the latter part of Pleasentville (like Rock'n'Roll, youth culture, women doing their own stuff etc.). But when looking back, sometimes people blend this out and create an idealized, but ultimately false and distorted picture of the past. I think both interpretations are valid and actually contain an important message.
When I was growing up many TV shows started out in black and white for at least their 1st season and once they caught on they changed to color. Once the '60s became "mod" there were lots of new styles and shorter dresses and what they called "rock" music.
I've watched this a bunch of times since it was released and i'm only now starting to see how its about breaking away from what everybody expects from you in order to be truly free to do what you want.
I am a guy who cries at movies but this movie is among a handful that absolutely demolishes me. I don’t think it’s “scandal” as you were discussing or even emotion as implied with Big Bob; it’s discovery, enlightenment of some kind. i really think this is a perfect film.
A highly underrated film with so much depth about the past, the present, and the future. Brilliant cast! Amazing script! One of my all time Top 10 ! Give it time to sink in... "Where's my dinner" ? Music / Score brilliant !!! the loss of innocence..
The TV guy is played by Don Knotts. Don Knotts was Barney Fife, the deputy on the long running show "The Andy Griffith Show" Which was not unlike Pleasantville.
I watched Pleasantville three years ago and it looked really good. It felt like an episode from The Twilight Zone when you watch it for the first time.
All the comments here are pretty great, so I'll just add that I love all the diner scenes of people awakening to art, literature and music. Using Dave Brubeck's 'Take 5' to kick things off on the soundtrack, making it feel thrillingly subversive, is just wonderful. (Great Miles Davies choice too.)
I love how this movie starts as one thing and then slowly as it progresses turns into a fascinatingly different movie that just hits different every decade removed I watch it from it's original release.
The writing! The performances! The music! • Written, Directed and Produced by Gary Ross • Toby Maguire • Reese Witherspoon • Don Knotts • William H. Macy • Joan Allen • Jeff Daniels • … • Suite from Pleasantville (Randy Newman) • Rave On (West, Tilghman, and Petty. Performed by Buddy Holly) • Take 5 (Paul Desmond. Performed by the Dave Brubeck Quartet) • So What (Miles Davis) • At Last (Gordon, Warren. Performed by Etta James) • Across the Universe (Lennon/McCartney. Performed by Fiona Apple) • …
Ross co-wrote "Big" with Steven Spielberg's sister Anne and wrote "Dave" on his own. He would later direct Pleasantville, Seabiscuit, the first Hunger Games film and Ocean's Eight.
Great movie. When it starts mixing the black and white and color, it's just so cool visually. The pink petals falling from the trees is just such a cool shot.
Love this film, wish more people would react to it as many are surprised the first time they see it. I saw it in the theaters and remember how much it made me think afterwards.
I love this movie. It's fun and silly on the surface, but goes so deep, especially in the last third of the movie, with such apt commentary on what it means to be. Not to be anything in particular, because there is no perfect [whatever]. Just to be. How easy it can be to just stay the same, to never learn or grow, to resist change, and yet how rewarding it can be to get outside of your normal routines, your normal patterns, and experience something new. And that's really what the key was. Not just doing something different. Paul Walker's character was one of the first to do something different, but he stayed in black and white because it didn't really change him internally. He didn't break out of his mold. You don't need to just do something new, you need to learn from it, grow from it, and become more than what you were.
Writer/Director/Producer Gary Ross is, of course, the man who would late bring you "Dave". I grew up near Pleasantville NY. It was reasonably pleasant. Did NOT recall that Paul Walker was Skip. The basketball player I most recalled was Marc Blucas (here making his acting debut after playing major-college basketball w. Tim Duncan at Wake Forest), better known to me as Riley Finn from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Even then, Marc had that great smile. Of course, the other BtVS alum is Danny Strong, aka "Doyle from Gilmore Girls". (He was only on that show because his stalker, writer-producer Jane Espenson, brought him along when she switched shows after Buffy ended.) Forgot that Danny, now an Emmy-winning writer, is in this. And yes, before there were separate Animal-Control agencies, Fire Companies, particularly in smaller towns, would get cats out of trees. They already had the ladders, after all. (Many fire companies were originally volunteer agencies, citizens helping the community. So doing neighborly things such as retrieving pets fit right in.)
This really was a wonderful film back in 98! They won’t make films like this anymore. A technological feat for its time. A Very moving & sweet little film…
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I cry every time because I think about my own journey of self discovery. From the age of four I wanted to be the best person I could be, so I observed everyone and everything. I didn't always come to the best conclusions, but I learned a lot of hard lessons. As a kid, I saw how my little sister would disobey my parents and how it would invariably lead to her crying, but how their rules would still be expected to be obeyed no matter how hard she cried. So I came to the conclusion at four years old that obedience was key, and crying was useless. It took me years to unlearn both of those untruths. I obeyed my way into a church for seven years once I got to college, and was basically an automaton for them. But I still had that fire in me that wanted to be the best person I could be. And all the church wanted was my money and for me to bring them more people to bring them more money. It wasn't about being a good person. So I left. I can't even say that I would have become colorful at that point because there were many other things I had to learn. In this movie, I think the last people to become colorful were the ones who wanted to make Pleasantville pleasant again. It was once I realized that helping people smile and laugh was what I wanted to do with my life, that everything else just clicked into place. My life became colorful then.
The Pleasantville mom is Joan Allen whom you've probably seen in all the Bourne films. An excellent film of hers I recommend you check out is The Contender where she stars alongside Gary Oldman and Jeff Bridges.
TOTALLY agree!! Joan Allen is a FANTASTIC actress... and she was brilliant in this film and "THE CONTENDER"... I hope they react to that underrated gem!! Cheers!
I have always found this movie to be fascinating. It is a very re watchable movie. I have seen in a number of times and I have enjoyed it each and every time. That's saying a lot for a movie. My favorite scene in the movie is the art book.
This and "Blast from the Past" are absolute gems.
Yes! Both are great and some of my favorites.
She’s done a reaction to that already
I love Blast from the Past ❤
This an under rated classic....Blast from the Past.....awful.
Absolutely. Perfect pairing. 😎🤙
The late, very great Don Knotts. A comedic legend!
Seems apropos, since Pleasantville owes something to Mayberry
I heard a funny story about the casting for Mr. Furley on Three’s Company. They were looking for a “Don Knotts type.” He had to let them know that he was still a Knotts type and available.
Fun fact: the two books, "Huckleberry Finn" and "Catcher in the Rye" that the kids ask Bud what they are about are the most banned books.
I hadn’t caught the microcosmic summary of Huck Finn, that they found out they were free all the time, the first time I saw this movie.
Shout-out to the new release (book) _James_ by Percival Everett which is, at its core, a retelling of the story from the perspective of Jim. It came out last month and I finished it shortly after. So good. Huck Finn is one of my all time favorite books and now it has a modern companion.
Anyway. I just wanted to promote this book to those who love Huck Finn and literature in general. Recommend.
@@t0dd000 i read that book recently! It was really good!
That's why they were chosen for the movie. It wasn't a coincidence!
Yeah. Once the book burning scenes start, that's really driven home.
It wasn't about doing new things. It was about the courage to change.
And accepting that not everyone has to be the same.
Not exactly. Big Bob didn't have the courage to change, nor did a great deal of people in the audience during the trial. It's more direct. I think Bud best describes it when he is in prison. He tells George, "Nothing went wrong. People change." George asks, "Can they change back?" Bud says, "I don't know, I think it's harder".....What Bud is emphasizing is that there are emotional transformations that we go through--which those is Pleasantville never experienced until now--that when they happen you actually become a different person. You change in a way that is impossible to "change back" because it has already altered your character forever. For Mary Sue, once she found a passion for education, she cannot ignore that passion. For Bud, once he found the ability to fight for his mother, family, etc., instead of ignoring issues by just watching Pleasantville as he did in the real world, he changed forever. We even see that punctuated in the final scene with his real-life mother. I don't have time to go through each character, and clearly there is some ambiguity and slight nuances/flaws. But this is the most logical conclusion to the color change.
@@CoryGasaway Big Bob went all full color when Bud goads him into telling him how he really feels... so I guess stopping his "pleasant" surface-level veneer of polite respectibility and unleashing some real honesty in that moment is what did it for him.
It is really a great part of the movie that so many characters unlock full color life by so many different means.
@@gfox9295Pleasantville is great, but l always had one issue with it. Clearly it's a take on the civil rights movement of American BLK ppl....but there's not a single BLK person in the movie, even after they go full color. As a kid l swore l remembered BLK ppl being shown on the tv that was now showing places outside Pleasantville, and BLK ppl getting off and on the bus, but clearly I was wrong. Seems like a missed opportunity.
@@gfox9295 This is a solid reading, but I do think it would've been more powerful for him not to change, to contrast with Bill Macy's character being capable of opening his mind when Maguire confronts him to actually look at his wife for the first time. It feels like kind of a pat ending where even the villains can be reached, when the reality is people like Bob often can't be, and having him be alone in that would've been a good way to make the point, as well as avoiding the slight muddying of the plot mechanics.
"Must be awfully lucky to see colours like that. I'll bet they don't know how lucky they are."
In a movie full of wonderful performances, Jeff Daniels really sells that character.
It definitely felt like he was talking to the audience when he said that.
One of my favorite scenes in the movie. I was like "shhhh, you'll miss it!" when they were talking. 🤣
@Billinois78 He is. The whole movie talks to the audience through symbolism, dialogue, allegory, and other elements.
He's right. We don't.
Don Knotts was so underrated as an actor. One of his most touching scenes was in an episode of 'Three's Company.' The roomates had found a kitten and knew they would not be allowed to keep it. So they left in front of Don Knott's (Mr. Furley) apartment. Turns out he was a cat lover!
He told the kitten how he used to have a kitten when he was a kid. They'd play together each and everyday after he got home from school and it was his best friend. His only friend. Then one day he came home from school and learned it had gotten out and ran into the street...
In that moment you could see how lonely he was as a child.
I don’t know that he was underrated during his time . He was a comic legend
Don Knotts was very highly rated! Heck, he was even a guest on Scooby Doo.
True! True! I should have clarified I thought he was underrated as a *dramatic* actor..
What’s your address ? I’ll send you a dictionary.
It's hard to get people to see classics like The Incredible Mr. Limpet.
The world building in this film is so immersive that I forget the groundbreaking special effects in every scene the world in black and white while a bright red fire is happening and the makeup being applied scene is just stunning the older I get.
They say it had more special effects than Episode 1.
They shot the whole thing in color and then removed color after they scanned the film. It was definitely revolutionary. I remember watching a documentary about it.
This was nominated for 3 Oscars and won multiple other awards. I love the story and original concept.
r/apostrophegore
"FIRE!" No response. "Cat???" 🤣 I laughed so hard I choked on my dinner!
That might be my favorite part of the movie.
What a waste of dinner, could have given some to the father there in Pleasantville. tsk tsk
@@guyr.6053 You assume my dinner was better than his cocktail olives! 😝
Was it meatloaf?
My dad worked on this, they filmed it close by using one of my rival high schools (Valencia) as Tobey's school. Years later when Paul Walker died (only about 5 minutes from the high school) my dad noted that he was a guy who was always courteous to everyone on set.
The Notebook mom...meanwhile I was like "Malcom In the Middle".
Me too!!
different mom, different actress
"Notebook mom" was Pleaantville mom. "Malcom mom" was 'real life' mom.
Face/Off
@@hanng1242 and Death Race
This movie hits 20, 30, and 40 year old me in completely different ways. It's relevancy today in this current climate makes this a perfect movie to react to. A strong commentary of individualism vs conformity along with a slew of other levels! This movie is underrated and needs to be watched more.
If it came out any year in the 2000s to the present, it would have been nominated for Best Picture--and it could have won some years. It was just bogged down and lost in the greatness of film that was the 1990s. I mean, it would have gone up against Shakespeare in Love, Saving Private Ryan, American History X, Life is Beautiful, The Truman Show, etc. It just couldn't stand out that year.
So true!
This! I go back to watching things in the 90s that have these themes in them and what was once a cosy blanket of me thinking, "Phew, glad we're all past prejudice and fear nowadays!" cuts into me way harder now. Reminds me of the 90s TV show Babylon 5 which was sort of the anti-Trek, which depicts the on-the-surface-good-guys human race gradually becoming more totalitarian, paranoid, aggressive and fearful of others, and where the aliens are the ones who have to help get us back on track.
The way I understand the time difference, _Pleasantville_ was a weekly show when it first aired. Therefore, one week in Pleasantville translates to half an hour (the length of the show) in the real world.
That's such a good in-universe explanation!
Let's pay respect to the camera operator Brent Hershman, who died from a car crash after working for 19 hours straight making this movie
I worked on a low budget Hollywood movie as a set dresser when I first got out to Los Angeles. I remember routinely working 14 to 16 hours all night long. Crazy hours! The Producer was too cheap to pay for hotel rooms so we all drove ourselves home. Someone fell asleep at the wheel in early morning traffic and was injured, but not killed. After that, the Producer decided to pay for hotel rooms near our shooting location. I think he figured out that hotel rooms were a lot cheaper than being on the losing end of a lawsuit.
They changed the law after that.
😓
Damn, someone should go to prison for that.
Oh wow I didn’t know that! How tragic!
Danny Strong, who you recognized as Doyle from Gilmore Girls, is now a very successful screenwriter and tv director/producer, with two Emmys and other awards. I first knew him as Jonathan in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
I've seen this movie a dozen times, and it wasn't until today that I noticed not just Danny Strong, but also Marc Blucas-two _Buffy_ alumni in one movie!
@@andrewharrison5288 Two more movies with Buffy alumni: Bring It On with Eliza Dushku and Clare Cramer, and Bye Bye Love with Eliza Dushku, Amber Benson, and Lindsay Crouse.
@@andrewharrison5288 I saw him in this reaction for a split second, but I recognized him, too: Riley! And I also know Strong as Jonathan, only thing I really do know him from. Ah, the 90s.
I remember watching him in the movie Sydney White, he plays the movie's grumpy. And then went on to realize that he won awards for the screenplays for the last two Hunger Games movies.
Oh yeahhhhhh! I also know him from Buffy. But I'm not sure I would have recognized him from his few brief moments in this reaction without your comment, so thank you!
Wonderful film. I found myself viewing it many times. It starts in a fun way but reveals itself to be rich with deep meaning. The loss of innocence, the power of change, the false perfect society, embracing one's true self. A Masterpiece.
😂
@@TobyBaker-hz3rw What's wrong? You seem upset.
And discovering passion.
This reads like an A.I. paragraph, Chatgpt or whatever
"False perfect society" is much like many dystopian stories. Freedom to experience vs control and security.
The T.V. repair man is Emmy award-winning actor, Don Knotts who played Barney Fife in the 1960s sitcom, "The Andy Griffith Show." He also played Ralph Furley on the sitcom, "Three's Company." He's a legend and for the older generation, his appearance in this movie generates a great deal of nostalgia. R.I.P. Don.
Who better than the legendary Don Knotts to play the catalyst for this movie?
According to the DVD commentary, their other choice was Dick Van Dyke.
They don't know who he is, unfortunately, not the TV shows Pleasantville is parodying.
Tim Conway
Very true.
@@bradleymayseoooh that wouldve been good too, or Andy Griffith tbh
It's not just about not conforming to the rules of Pleasantville. It's about accepting change, going against the status quo, accepting people's similarities and differences.. 29:41
I always read it through Bud's quote to George. He tells George, "Nothing went wrong. People change." George asks, "Can they change back?" Bud says, "I don't know, I think it's harder". It's when there is a change inside of you that alters who you are as a person from that moment on. You can no longer change back. The person you once were is no longer the person you have now become. Although, I resolve that it is still more complex and ambiguous than that.
Amazing, I never thought anyone would react to Pleasantville. Such a clever, thought provoking film, that challenges the mind and focuses on the way people react to unexpected change.
A few other reactors have done so , i think this is the 3rd i've personally watched.
“The 3 man weave into a layup” shoutout is why I love you guys
I had not heard that since my hs basketball days back in 2003
lol I was shocked that they knew what that was hahaha
@@xjudoflip7381 They've both watched a ton of basketball movies... so much so, I think they may have either been fans or players (or both) back when they were younger.
We both played in high school! 😊😊
@@carlywpopcorninbed9655 that is kinda what I suspected, but I didn't want to assume!
I think Cassie was listing off all the basketball movies she's watched recently (probably before or after reacting to White Men Can't Jump) and she really sounded like a big enough basketball fan to have been a player once upon a time.
My first son was over 2 years old before he saw rain. When it happened he was so stunned he could only point to the sky and say water over and over.
thats cute
A fun fact about this movie is how it was made. The entire movie was shot in color and painstakingly, frame by frame, had color removed to create the b&w/color effect you see in the movie!
I believe at the time it was technically the movie with "the most special effects" because of the cumulative post production editing
And everything was painted green because it translates to "better" shades of grey. Apparently if you film sets in normal colors when you convert to b&w the shades are too dark to see anything. Even the actors wore green makeup.
Margaret, Bud's Pleasantville girlfriend, was played by Marley Shelton. She also played Wendy Peffercorn (the lifeguard) in "The Sandlot".
Possibly the most legendary lifeguard 😂
And the sheriff's deputy, then the sheriff in Scream 4 and 5, respectively.
And Brooke in the underrated surreal teen sex comedy "Trojan War."
She was also in Sin City 😊😊😊
@@williamburnham3659 She was also in Hercules: in the Underworld tv movie from 1994. 📺📼👍🙏
...and Chloe in "Bubble Boy"
Back in the day, 2000 or so, we used to use "Pleasantville" as a demo in the Audio/Video store I worked in. Remember those? The scenes where some was in B&W and some in color were very well done, and helped to convince folks that maybe they did need that new TV. LOL.
You made sure that they bought a spare remote just in case, right? :D
28:14 has both sisters, wide mouth, shocked at the painting on the restaurant window ... this is maybe the funniest team reaction I've ever seen 😂😂😂😂😂
I've seen them both drop their jaws at the same time before, but you're right... this was a really great example of it, and a really enjoyable team reaction.
At 13:10 and the toilet stall is empty. In TV (especially back then) no one goes No# 1 or No# 2. And even if you've never played basketball, you can shoot net shots even bouncing off the wall. In the Pleasantville universe, the screenplay are the laws of Physics!
I love this film. The cinematography is of course fantastic. However, something that is overlooked is the evolution of the music. I love that they are playing Dave Brubeck's Take Five in the diner scene when they are really exploring these new colours, reading and other new experiences.
@@douglasdavis8395 I got to sing with Brubeck with my college choir! He was like in his early 90s, not too long before he passed. I remember his thin fingers fluttering over the keys and making the most exquisite music. It was something I’ll never forget!!!
This movie got a lot of attention in my town when it came out. I live in a town called Pleasantville. LOL Our town was voted the Pleasantville most like the one in the movie.
Were you guys in black and white until y'all saw this film?
I interpreted the part about who changed colors and who didn’t as,
those who embraced the changes turned to color. Those who wanted things to remain the same stayed black and white.
interesting addendum: those who only embraced change if it directly benefited them, like skip, also stayed black and white. just an interesting point
@@QuestionableLifeChoices definitely some nuance in this theory. I’m guessing that he stayed black and white because it wasn’t technically out of his character to want to have sex with Reece. It’s part of being attracted to her and wanting to be a couple. In that universe, “hand holding and kissing” was kinda the sex equivalent. Adding the actual sex wasn’t quite enough change for him to turn colors.
I always thought of it as those who had something awakened inside them. In some it was a sexual awakening, but in other cases it was a love of learning, or artistic expression, or courage. Different for each person, depending on what they most needed to experience.
@@staceyalles7740 personal growth, basically, yeah. You know, for having such on the nose metaphors, there certainly are a ton of layers to this movie lol
To me the key to color isn’t learning that new/different things exist, it’s accepting that new/different things exist. It’s understanding that high/lows/unknowns are preferable to bland, blissful (willful?) ignorance and tedious pleasantness. The movie is a rejection of conformity, of “not rocking the boat,” of “going along to get along” - and pretty clearly a rejection of the _myth_ of the “perfect America of the 1950s.”
What a wonderful movie about growing up. Not just in age, but in the ability to handle taking a step into the scary unknown.
Some of these very tender performances have stuck with me for years. I remember this quite fondly.
I actually wrote a paper in college comparing David's (Bud's) story arc in Pleasantville to the five life stages of the Buddha.
Huh?
Is it online anywhere?
I agree -- I'd like to read that, too.
This is the type of film criticism/ theory breakdown that I love
OP, I would also love to read that.
6:21/Ladies.... this old man was on the television show "Threes Company" & "The Andy Griffith Show"!! 😊😊
I remember seeing this movie in high school. My English teacher encouraged me to go see it. It's a one of a kind movie about about the transition from the old world to the new world. A must watch for people trying to understand why change is hard to accept for people even if they cannot stop it.
I haven't seen this in a long time; I forgot how much I love it, the cast, and the symbolism. Always fun to watch y'all react!
When the black and white is broken by the vivid red of that first rose - that's a great, memorable "movie moment".
It's a good movie, but when someone mentions it? My mind goes to THAT scene.
this is one of my favorite movies of all time. I had it on DVD and I used to watch it a LOT back in the day. The behind-the-scenes extras on the special effects were really fascinating, giving an insight into how they did the transitions from black and white to color. thanks for the reaction, ladies! 😃
I used to always use this disc to tune the color on my TVs. I still have my DVD and blu ray. I really loved the isolated score with the Randy Newman commentary. Oh, and I bought the recently released soundtrack.
@@sgtpepper1138 cool! 😃
For anyone who grew up watching re-runs of the Andy Griffith Show (1950's feel good, small town comedy drama), seeing Don Knotts show up in this movie was heartwarming a.f.
I grew up in the 80s and watched a lot of Nickelodeon as a kid. By Nick at Night, my brother and I had committed episodes of Party Duke, Dobey Gillis, Dennis the Menace to memory. This movie brought me back to that.
i don't know if I'd say that "fvcking" is "heartwarming" actually.
I’ve always liked this film, it’s so much more than what’s on the surface.
Waaaaay more. It takes my AP Lit students days to get to some of the depths of this film. We pair with Plato's "Allegory of the Cave". They are quite similar in theme and ideas about enlightenment and change.
The TV repair guy is in a great movie from my childhood called "The Incredible Mr Limpet"
Also loved the Ghost and Mr. Chicken and The Shakiest Gun In the West. I saw all three in the theater. I think I may have seen Limpet at a drive in.
And we can’t forget Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith Show. After Knotts left the show it went downhill.
Barney Fife & Mr. Furley :)
Don Knotts. Yeah I loved that Movie.
*The Incredible Mr. Limpet* is a great movie
them turning color , wasn't about learning new things. it was about changing as a person.
its not about changing at all. A lot of them did not change. Its about being who you truly are without being influenced by others and society
So happy you are watching this now. Such an underrated movie.
I remember seeing this when it first came out and expected a straight-up comedy about two modern-day teens transported into a 50s sitcom and hilarity ensues. Then it went in a direction I did not expect at all, which made it a terrific and thought-provoking movie. Props to everyone involved in the making of this movie . . . and as always, enjoyed your reactions.
6:50 Don Kmotts ks a great actor who was in many shows like Pleasantville. You should check out many of these old TV shows.
Loved this Popcornville movie! Thanks for sharing Cassie and Carly PiB 🍿
This absolutely is commentary on America as it changed from the way things were in the 40s and 50s as society changed through the 60s and 70s. The advent of rock and roll music, women's rights, racial equality, the shifting values of the nation... this whole movie is a metaphor for the people willing to change with new concepts and new ideas and the people desperately trying to lock things in one place, openly violent against these new ideas and thoughts.
I think it also showcases how quickly a society can spin out of control--by the people who resist change, and will use any method to stop it, even violence when there was none before.
amazing how the blues became black and white disciples and the reds became color lovers in usa.
In my youth, this movie urged me to embrace and defend my differences. Now, as an adult, it reminds me to do the same for others.
I love this movie. We don't get stuff like this out of Hollywood anymore.
Saw this movie in theaters with friends when I was 14 and didn’t appreciate it until I watched it again years later.
Don Knotts, from the
Andy Griffith Show ,.... mid 50s was an award winning actor, Emmies, But then again in many movies like the Apple Dumpling Gang. He was great. William H. Macey seems always to be under rated.
"The Andy Griffith Show" ran from 1960 to 1968. It wasn't on in the '50s.
@@kevinhouse4376 I sit corrected. It was in 58 that Don Knotts and Andy Griffith appeared together in "No Time For Sergeants, not the T.V. show.
This is a far better movie than most people expect. And your reaction when it starts to click is great.
Also, just for fun, the behind-the-scenes of this movie is great when they explain just to what ends they went to make this movie.
I love this movie! It has so much to say. They change to color when they have a personal revelation. That's why it is so diffeeent for everyone. I'm so glad people seem to finally be discovering it!
Cassie and Carly. This movie is right up both of your alleys. Welcome back Carly. Good to see your young smiling face again. And to you Cassie.
Thanks!
This is such a charming tale of growth, rebellion against conformity, and dealing with the contradictions therein. So glad you watched this!
There is a lot of meaning in this movie. I thought for a long time it mostly dealt with "change" and how it affects society.
But I recently read that it's also meant to highlight the difference of how a time is perceived looking backwards and how it actually was. In this case, the 1950s are sometimes viewed as it was in the early part of Pleasentville, while in fact it included many things of the latter part of Pleasentville (like Rock'n'Roll, youth culture, women doing their own stuff etc.). But when looking back, sometimes people blend this out and create an idealized, but ultimately false and distorted picture of the past.
I think both interpretations are valid and actually contain an important message.
Toby McGuire played high school kids for like 15 years.
lol genetics
He was more convincing here though.
As a fellow "carded for 15 years" baby-face-haver during my 20s and early 30s, I can relate to the man.
They love me :)
I was 28 and still had to show my ID for beer. In a legal age 18 country. Can relate.
I'm so glad you did this movie, it's one of my favourites that I'd completely forgotten about.
When I was growing up many TV shows started out in black and white for at least their 1st season and once they caught on they changed to color. Once the '60s became "mod" there were lots of new styles and shorter dresses and what they called "rock" music.
The TV repair guy is Don Knotts. You may know him as Mr. Furley from Threes Company.
He was also Barney Fife on the Andy Griffith show with Andy and a young Ronny Howard (Opie).
I've watched this a bunch of times since it was released and i'm only now starting to see how its about breaking away from what everybody expects from you in order to be truly free to do what you want.
I am a guy who cries at movies but this movie is among a handful that absolutely demolishes me. I don’t think it’s “scandal” as you were discussing or even emotion as implied with Big Bob; it’s discovery, enlightenment of some kind. i really think this is a perfect film.
I saw this for film school back in the day and it's been one of my top "demo" movies to show to new friends.
A highly underrated film with so much depth about the past, the present, and the future. Brilliant cast! Amazing script! One of my all time Top 10 ! Give it time to sink in... "Where's my dinner" ? Music / Score brilliant !!! the loss of innocence..
Change ia inevitable, we can't go backwards. "Times ain't what they used to be, but then they never were..." - Kieran Goss
David/Bud's mom was the mom on the long running sitcom, Malcolm in the Middle.
Just “David’s”.
She was also married to the villain from billy Madison at this time.
Not only one of my favorite films, it's one of the greatest movies ever made. Thank you both for this!
The TV guy is played by Don Knotts. Don Knotts was Barney Fife, the deputy on the long running show "The Andy Griffith Show" Which was not unlike Pleasantville.
This movie is a treasure! It has so much to say! I love it! Thanks for reacting, you are the best!
The dad also plays The Shoveler in the comedy superhero movie, Mystery Men.
And Jerry in "Fargo."
And some production assistant to Vanity's character in "The Last Dragon."
And thanks to Stephen Colbert he and his wife have the greatest 'Brangelina' style portmanteau couples name; 'Filliam H Muffman'.
I watched Pleasantville three years ago and it looked really good. It felt like an episode from The Twilight Zone when you watch it for the first time.
All the comments here are pretty great, so I'll just add that I love all the diner scenes of people awakening to art, literature and music. Using Dave Brubeck's 'Take 5' to kick things off on the soundtrack, making it feel thrillingly subversive, is just wonderful. (Great Miles Davies choice too.)
[His wife wants one of those big beds] "Gosh, what's he gonna do?" 😅
I love how this movie starts as one thing and then slowly as it progresses turns into a fascinatingly different movie that just hits different every decade removed I watch it from it's original release.
The writing! The performances! The music!
• Written, Directed and Produced by Gary Ross
• Toby Maguire
• Reese Witherspoon
• Don Knotts
• William H. Macy
• Joan Allen
• Jeff Daniels
• …
• Suite from Pleasantville (Randy Newman)
• Rave On (West, Tilghman, and Petty. Performed by Buddy Holly)
• Take 5 (Paul Desmond. Performed by the Dave Brubeck Quartet)
• So What (Miles Davis)
• At Last (Gordon, Warren. Performed by Etta James)
• Across the Universe (Lennon/McCartney. Performed by Fiona Apple)
• …
Ross co-wrote "Big" with Steven Spielberg's sister Anne and wrote "Dave" on his own. He would later direct Pleasantville, Seabiscuit, the first Hunger Games film and Ocean's Eight.
Great movie. When it starts mixing the black and white and color, it's just so cool visually. The pink petals falling from the trees is just such a cool shot.
Love this movie! Glad to see it get some attention. Feel like it gets overlooked compared to other movies from the late 90s
💯
Love this film, wish more people would react to it as many are surprised the first time they see it. I saw it in the theaters and remember how much it made me think afterwards.
I love this movie. It's fun and silly on the surface, but goes so deep, especially in the last third of the movie, with such apt commentary on what it means to be. Not to be anything in particular, because there is no perfect [whatever]. Just to be. How easy it can be to just stay the same, to never learn or grow, to resist change, and yet how rewarding it can be to get outside of your normal routines, your normal patterns, and experience something new. And that's really what the key was. Not just doing something different. Paul Walker's character was one of the first to do something different, but he stayed in black and white because it didn't really change him internally. He didn't break out of his mold. You don't need to just do something new, you need to learn from it, grow from it, and become more than what you were.
Writer/Director/Producer Gary Ross is, of course, the man who would late bring you "Dave".
I grew up near Pleasantville NY. It was reasonably pleasant.
Did NOT recall that Paul Walker was Skip. The basketball player I most recalled was Marc Blucas (here making his acting debut after playing major-college basketball w. Tim Duncan at Wake Forest), better known to me as Riley Finn from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". Even then, Marc had that great smile.
Of course, the other BtVS alum is Danny Strong, aka "Doyle from Gilmore Girls". (He was only on that show because his stalker, writer-producer Jane Espenson, brought him along when she switched shows after Buffy ended.) Forgot that Danny, now an Emmy-winning writer, is in this.
And yes, before there were separate Animal-Control agencies, Fire Companies, particularly in smaller towns, would get cats out of trees. They already had the ladders, after all. (Many fire companies were originally volunteer agencies, citizens helping the community. So doing neighborly things such as retrieving pets fit right in.)
Jeff Daniel's is a master actor. Should see his performance in God's and Generals
I loved him as George Washington in the tv movie The Crossing. He delivered my favorite depiction of that man on screen.
Loved him in The Squid and the Whale, among many others.
I like a lot of his stuff too, but my favorite character of his is Will McAvoy in Aaron Sorkin's TV series "The Newsroom."
This really was a wonderful film back in 98! They won’t make films like this anymore. A technological feat for its time. A Very moving & sweet little film…
This is one of my favorite movies of all time. I cry every time because I think about my own journey of self discovery. From the age of four I wanted to be the best person I could be, so I observed everyone and everything. I didn't always come to the best conclusions, but I learned a lot of hard lessons. As a kid, I saw how my little sister would disobey my parents and how it would invariably lead to her crying, but how their rules would still be expected to be obeyed no matter how hard she cried. So I came to the conclusion at four years old that obedience was key, and crying was useless. It took me years to unlearn both of those untruths. I obeyed my way into a church for seven years once I got to college, and was basically an automaton for them. But I still had that fire in me that wanted to be the best person I could be. And all the church wanted was my money and for me to bring them more people to bring them more money. It wasn't about being a good person. So I left. I can't even say that I would have become colorful at that point because there were many other things I had to learn. In this movie, I think the last people to become colorful were the ones who wanted to make Pleasantville pleasant again. It was once I realized that helping people smile and laugh was what I wanted to do with my life, that everything else just clicked into place. My life became colorful then.
Are you a comedian?
@@jameswilkerson4412 Yes. I do stand-up, and improv. But I also work as a scare actor at haunted houses, and I'm an actor and author.
The immortal Don Knotts, one of our oldest and longest TV friends. Perfect for this role and hilariolus to see him as an enforcer of conformity.
“Maybe it’s not the cooking and the cleaning you miss about her,”
I see Reddit threads these days about this same problem today
Hey guys11 thanks for reacting to this movie- its one of my all time favourites with Blast from the Past!!
The Pleasantville mom is Joan Allen whom you've probably seen in all the Bourne films. An excellent film of hers I recommend you check out is The Contender where she stars alongside Gary Oldman and Jeff Bridges.
TOTALLY agree!! Joan Allen is a FANTASTIC actress... and she was brilliant in this film and "THE CONTENDER"... I hope they react to that underrated gem!! Cheers!
I thought she was terrific in "The Crucible" as well. Her scene near the end, along with Daniel Day Lewis, was some of the best acting I've seen.
Don't forget face/off too.
She was perfectly cast as Pat Nixon in Oliver Stone's bio-pic.
also one I've recommended for them! good stuff! also Christian Slater
One of my favorites growing up! Such a powerful message and incredible performances and cinematography. Jeff Daniels is soooo good.
To Kill a Mockingbird.courtroom scene ✌️💜
I *love* this movie! The music is unbelievable and the way they tied color to emotion and change is so beautiful.
I have always found this movie to be fascinating. It is a very re watchable movie. I have seen in a number of times and I have enjoyed it each and every time. That's saying a lot for a movie. My favorite scene in the movie is the art book.
Bill acting out is passion of painting always brings a tear to my eye
Another week of me shamelessly begging for a "The Outlaw Josey Wales" reaction! 😂
I saw this in the theater. The cinematography was mind blowing to me
Such a great film, simple premise with so much depth! Thank You Ladies! RIP Paul Walker - Miss You Brother
I have loved this film since I was a kid!! So nice to finally see someone react to it on here! Glad it’s not been forgotten
How about some marshmallow rice squares?
Those are swell.
Yes, at last! So few reactions to this film. Thank you.
Don Knotts was tv sitcom comedy gold... Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show and Mr. Furley on Three's Company...
I'm glad you both keep up your gardening! It's the best for fresh veggies 😋