Very few films are able to tell a thought-provoking story while still keeping viewers engaged and anxious to see what happens in the next scene. To my surprise, Pleasantville is able to achieve and surpass this feat more than I could have ever imagined.

Gary Ross’ Pleasantville presents a story about two high school siblings that become trapped inside a television show called Pleasantville. Realizing that they will be there for a long time before they have a chance to go back to their world, the siblings, Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon, begin to have an unexpected influence on the world of Pleasantville.

David, played by Tobey Maguire, is pretty much your stereotypical high school nerd and social outcast, but he constantly watches Pleasantville after school to escape his social problems and becomes engrossed by it so much that he can give you the answer to any trivia question on the show.

Tobey Maguire is able to give this stereotypical character a breath of fresh air because he makes David become a character with personality and actual human qualities that make you care about him. David is not in the movie to be awkward for the movie’s sake but to evolve and grow as the movie progresses, and that made me appreciate the writing that went into this film.

On the other hand, Jennifer, played by Reese Witherspoon, is the polar opposite of what David is. She’s a popular girl who tends to care more about her looks or who she needs to date than caring about who she is as a person. Reese Witherspoon’s acting can come off as very annoying in the her first few moments in the movie, but I do not see this as a flaw. In fact, I am sure that it was deliberate to show that Jennifer has not found herself yet and that is why she sounds initially.

Gary Ross’ directing and writing cannot be commended enough because it connects so well with the comedic and light hearted tone of the movie combined with the progressive awareness of its social commentary on society and what we as humans value. The comedy could definitely lead you to thinking that this will just be a fun and pleasant movie, but even within the first hour, Gary Ross gives viewers subtle hints about what is to become of Pleasantville later in the film and its deep and intricate conflicts that the society of Pleasantville will have to face (hint: pay special attention when you see colors).

It is through Gary Ross’ directing and the superb cast that make their characters feel natural and human, that Ross is able to create a satiric vision of a troubled world that seems almost like paradise but is in dire need of questioning. People may feel that the past was a time of more common decency but Pleasantville makes us question what we thought about the old days and allow time for contemplation about the state of the present day.