Since April is John's birthday month, there was little discussion about the theme for April and more discussion about what would be talked about. And for John, one of the most important and formative movies of the 90s for him was 1998's Pleasantville. From the brain of Gary Ross, Pleasantville was a casting dream with theming both on the surface and deep beneath. It's a narrative about repression and finding yourself. It's a story about rebellion and the teenage years but also a story about the truths (and lies) adults face.
Pleasantville is a story about a black and white world not nearly as black and white as it first appears. And as a feminist piece (or at least a late 90s feminist piece), a sneakily queer ode to self (any movie with a mirror scene it likely qualifies), and a sweet perfectionist blend of 90s pastiche and the absolute obsession with the mythic 1950s Americana 'Norman Rockwell' style life, it's a deeper movie than anyone could ever guess.
And featuring some of the most uplifting yet heartwrenching scenes in maybe any movie anywhere, come with John and Magnus on a tour of Pleasantville old and new in order to celebrate the old and look forward to the new. Of course, nothing is as black and white as it seems but at least there are jars of olives.
