I enjoyed this movie. The premise is a little old (time travel, back the 1950s America) but it's treated in a novel way - characters go back to a 50s sitcom - that makes for an interesting ride. Tobey Maguire is good in this, more interesting to watch, I thought, than in the later Cider House Rules. Once the initial novelty of the situation has started to wear off, the movie starts to change - now the focus is no longer how to get the heroes home, but how they affect the sitcom characters. It's a culture shock that affects both sides. The gradual introduction of colour into the black and white world is wonderfully done and has dramatic meaning. Some reviewers have seen a political statement in the movie: apparently their brains switched off the second they saw the sign in the shop window "No coloreds". However, I saw this as a kind of joke, and the point is not pursued, certainly not belaboured. The point, rather, is the age-old story of how people react to change, and how they deal with the inevitable fear and uncertainty it brings. A fun viewing for all, teenagers and older (there are a couple of simulated sex scenes). By the final showdown, the focus has become emotional sterility and how to break through to a more fulfilling experience of life: a lot of themes for a "comedy", and on the whole very well handled.
Review of Pleasantville
