Pleasantville 1998

Susan Stark, Detroit News: An immensely intelligent entertainment! Read more

Janet Maslin, New York Times: Much of the interest here is in watching how the black-and-white scenes (filmed on color stock) begin to flower. Read more

Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: Ends up having more on its mind than it can successfully handle. Read more

Paul Clinton (CNN.com), CNN.com: This wonderful film speaks volumes about prejudice, the freedom of ideas, and the joys of diversity. Read more

Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: Technical elegance and fine performances mask the shallowness of a story as simpleminded as the '50s TV to which it condescends. Read more

Rick Groen, Globe and Mail: Endearing it definitely is, so much so that it's easy to overlook the simplicity, and the sly confidence trick that gets played on us. Read more

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader: A movie of unique ideological derangement that simultaneously demands and defies precise decoding. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: The most stunning thing about Pleasantville is the film's look, which rivals that of the year's other two most visually-impressive productions, Dark City and What Dreams May Come. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: One of the year's best and most original films! Read more

Charles Taylor, Salon.com: Both ambitious and simple-minded, Pleasantville combines technical sophistication with a rather limited imagination. Read more

Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle: There's a terrific idea at the heart of Pleasantville, and it's a shame that its creator, Big screenwriter Gary Ross, can't figure where to take it. Read more

Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune: The lighthearted fable Pleasantville takes some pointed swipes at the make-believe world of 1950s TV -- and none too soon. Read more

Derek Adams, Time Out: An ingenious fable, screenwriter Ross's directorial debut playfully spoofs the small-minded lifestyle idealised by 'family values' advocates, and the intolerance and insecurity underlying that ideal. Read more

Joe Leydon, Variety: Ingeniously conceived and impressively executed, "Pleasantville" is a provocative, complex and surprisingly anti-nostalgic parable wrapped in the beguiling guise of a commercial high-concept comedy. Read more

J. Hoberman, Village Voice: Funny for about half an hour, Pleasantville thereafter becomes an increasingly lugubrious, ultimately exasperating mix of technological wonder and ideological idiocy. Read more

Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post: So ambitious, so clever and so satisfying in so many ways! Read more