20 Awesome 90s Movies The World Forgot
3. Pleasantville
0Pleasantville is one of the most dizzyingly creative, visually stylish and thought-provoking fantasy films ever made. But have you ever heard of it? Quite possibly not. It flopped at the box office and remains underseen, which is truly gutting.
In this one, two modern American siblings - David (Tobey Maguire) and Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon) - are transported into a 1950s black-and-white sitcom called Pleasantville, where everything is idyllic. However, the arrival of modernity causes the town to slowly transform. That's all that'll be said for now, for this is one you should try to watch blind if possible.
Suffice to say, Pleasantville is fantastic. The way in which it uses its quirky premise as a vehicle for such rich, layered social commentary is second-to-none, while it's also constantly delivering big laughs, cracking performances and heartfelt moments of quiet tenderness every step of the way.
It's also noteworthy for being, quite arguably, one of the most striking movies ever in regards to its use of colour. As Pleasantville world changes it begins to turn from black-and-white to colour. Alongside being a fantastic and uniquely cinematic way to show the story world's transformation, it leads to a wide array of tear-jerkingly beautiful images.
Essentially, Pleasantville is another one-of-a-kind knockout and it's bizarre that it's never become a cult classic as it so deserved to.