Pleasantville is Just That

I recently watched the movie Pleasantville with the ever-appealing Tobey Maguire in the main role of a story in which a teen and his sister are transported back not only in time but into the TV-fictional 1950's town of Pleasantville, where everything is just A+ top drawer swell. The lesson, of course, is that wishing for perfection is the wrong route because it rarely pans out as we imagine. Perhaps a little too predictable and didactic, I felt the film was a good reminder to be grateful for what we have and also to be open to the possibilities of spontaneity. It reminded me of issues raised in the ongoing Star Trek prohibition against changing the Prime Directive and in the Lois Lowry novel The Giver (a five Quills rating on that one) which promotes the idea that trials and tribulations are invaluable to the human experience. Pleasantville has socio-political overtones about the 'non-changeist view' and the rejection of prejudice (the non-conforming Coloureds--literally people in colour vs. the town's black and white people--are to be embraced despite their differentness), and it celebrates individualism, choice and the joy of self-expression, as per the artist character played by Jeff Daniels. As usual, the PG13 rating is a bit moot (you know my MTV rant) and I believe the overall message is never outdated and ideal for youth groups and the like. A nice little fable that won't waste your movie night.