Not overly attractive, muscled, or funny, Tobey Maguire embodies desperate youth simply trying to survive high school. The two are magically transported into the world of Pleasantville, where they take on the roles of Bud and Mary Sue Parker - forced to keep up the show’s plot for fear of what disastrous consequences happen if they do not. Suddenly, David and Jennifer’s lives are turned upside down. When the two siblings fight over control of the TV remote one night, a mysterious technician arrives and hands over a new remote control.

Jennifer, a shallow girl who is used to having attention and popularity in her life at school, is the perfect foil to David, a shy loner who spends most of his time watching the 1950s black-and-white classic Pleasantville. Related: How Pleasantville Exposes the Problem With Nostalgia (and Inspired WandaVision)ĭavid and his sister live very different lives. Regardless, the film is a hidden gem that offers a great narrative supported by unique color and composition and, of course, stellar acting from the leads, Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon. You may remember watching this little title directed by Gary Ross (known for other films such as The Hunger Games, S eabiscuit, and Ocean’s 8) on cable television when you were growing up, or perhaps this is the first time you’ve heard about Pleasantville.

Accustomed to using television as a way to escape the pain and suffering of their own lives, two teenagers must figure out how to get back to their own reality after they get stuck in a 1950s sitcom. In 1998, New Line Cinema released a teenage comedy with a unique plot.

Download peter parker tobey maguire