Pleasantville Quotations

Pleasantville is a 1998 film about two modern-day teenagers who find themselves suddenly inside a 1950's sitcom where their influence begins to profoundly change that complacent world.

Written and directed by Gary Ross.

Nothing Is As Simple As Black And White.taglines

David Wagner/Bud Parker

[to Bill Johnson] Look, you can't always like what you do. Sometimes you just do it because it's your job. And even if you don't like it, you just gotta do it anyway.

[to George] I know you miss her, I mean, you told me you did. But maybe it's not just the cooking or the cleaning you miss. Maybe it's something else. Maybe you can't even describe it. Maybe you only know it when it's gone. Maybe it's like there's a whole piece of you that's missing too. Look at her, dad. Doesn't she look pretty like that? Doesn't she look just as beautiful as the first time you met her? Do you really want her back the way she was? Doesn't she look just wonderful? Now don't you wish you could tell her that?

Big Bob

People, people.... I think we all know what's going on here. Up until now everything around here has been, well, pleasant. Recently certain things have become unpleasant. It seems to me that the first thing we have to do is to separate out the things that are pleasant from the things that are unpleasant.

Bill Johnson

Where am I going to see colors like that? Must be awfully lucky to see colors like that. I bet they don't even know how lucky they are.

Dialogue

Jennifer/Mary Sue: What's outside of Pleasantville?

Miss Peters: What?...I don't understand...

Jennifer/Mary Sue: Outside of Pleasantville... What's at the end of Main Street?

Miss Peters: Oh, Mary Sue. You should know the answer to that. The end of Main Street is just the beginning again.

Jennifer/Mary Sue: So what's the big deal? Oh. Okay. They're like not good at basketball anymore. Like--omigod, what a tragedy.

David/Bud: You don't understand. You're messing with their UNIVERSE.

Jennifer/Mary Sue: Well maybe it needs to be messed with. Did that ever like--occur to you? You know, they don't want to be like this, it's just that nobody ever helped them before.

...

David/Bud: You have no right to do this.

Jennifer/Mary Sue: Well if I don't who will?

David/Bud: They're happy like this.

Jennifer/Mary Sue: David, nobody's happy in a Poodle skirt and a sweater set. [pause] You like all this don't you? I mean, you don't think it's just like dorky or funny or something... you really like it. Oh God! I am so personally horrified to be your sister right now.

David/Bud: I just don't think we have the right to..

Jennifer/Mary Sue: David, let me tell you something. These people don't want to be geeks. They want to be "attractive." They've got a lot of potential, they just don't know any better.

David/Bud: What's going on?

Jennifer/Mary Sue: Um... They like wanna ask you a question... I didn't know how to handle it. So....

David/Bud: Sure. [to the others] How you doin'? You wanted to ask me something?

Tommy: How'd you know about the fire?

David/Bud: What?

Tommy: How'd you know how to put it out and all?

David/Bud: Oh. Well--where I used to live...That's just what firemen did.

[the kids all murmur together]

Tommy: And where's that?

David/Bud: Um...Out-side of Pleasantville.

Tommy: What's outside of Pleasantville?

David/Bud: Look it doesn't matter. It's not important.

Tommy: What's outside of Pleasantville?

David/Bud: It's really not important.

Margaret: What's outside of Pleasantville?

David/Bud: Um... Well...There are some places where the road doesn't go in a circle. There are some places where it keeps on going.

Margaret: Keeps going...

David/Bud: Well, yeah -- it all just keeps going. Roads...rivers...

Will: Like the "Mighty Mississippi."

David: What?

[Will holds up a copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]

Will: "It was big 'n brown n' kept goin' an' goin' as far you could see."

David/Bud: [to Jennifer/Mary Sue] I thought the books were blank?

Will: They were.

Jennifer/Mary Sue: Okay look, this like--wasn't my fault. They asked me what it was about and I like didn't remember 'cause we had it back in tenth grade. But I told them what I DID remember, and the next thing I knew the pages had filled in.

David/Bud: The pages filled in?

Jennifer/Mary Sue: But like only up to the part about the raft, because I didn't read any farther.

Tommy: Do you know how it ends?

David/Bud: Well, yeah...I do.

Margaret: So how does it end?

David/Bud: Well--see.... they're both running away--Huck and the slave.... And... They go up the river.... But--in trying to get free..... they sort of see that they're free already....

[the pages fill in by themselves, completing the book]

Bob: [in the bowling alley] What happened? Are you alright? What is it?

George: Rain.

Bob: Real rain?

[George nods]

Bob: Oh my God.... Are you alright?

George: I came home like I always do. And I came in the front door. And I took off my coat. And I put down my briefcase and I said "Honey. I'm home."

[The men all nod in recognition.]

George: ...Only no one was there. So I went into the kitchen and I yelled it again. "Honey--I'm home." But there was no one there either. No wife. No lights. No dinner.

[The men all gasp]

George: So I went to the oven you know--because I thought maybe she had made me one of those "TV dinners..." But she hadn't. She was gone. And I looked and looked and looked -- but she was gone.

Bob: It's gonna be fine George. You're with 'us' now.

Gus: What do we do Bob?

Bob: Well--we'll be safe for now--thank goodness we're in a bowling alley--but if George here doesn't get his dinner, any one of us could be next. It could be you Gus, or you Burt, or even you Ralph.... That's real rain out there gentlemen. This isn't some little "virus" that's going to "clear up on it's own." There's something happening to our town and I think we can all see where it comes from.

...

Bob: My friends, this isn't about George's dinner or Burt's shirt. It's a question of values. It's a question of whether we're gonna hold onto the values that have made this place great. So the time has come to make a decision. Are we in this alone, or are we in it together?

Bob: This is not the answer people. No matter how upset we may get, or how frustrated we may be, we're not gonna solve our problems out in the street. It's just the wrong way to do it. We have to have a "Code of Conduct" we can all agree to live by. Now, I asked George and Burt here to sketch out some ideas--and I think they've done a terrific job. If we all agree on these then we can take a vote and I think we'll start to move in the right direction. "ONE: All public disruption and acts of vandalism are to cease immediately. TWO: All citizens of Pleasantville are to treat one another in a courteous and 'pleasant' manner...

[The kids are hiding in the ruined malt shop]

Lisa Anne: "Courteous and Pleasant manner." That doesn't sound too bad.

David/Bud: "THREE: The area commonly known as Lover's Lane as well as the Pleasantville Public Library shall be closed until further notice. FOUR: The only permissible recorded music shall be the following: Johnny Mathis, Perry Como, Jack Jones, the marches of John Phillips Sousa or the Star Spangled Banner. In no event shall any music be tolerated that is not of a temperate or "pleasant" nature."

Kids: Oh my gosh.... No....

David/Bud: "FIVE: There shall be no public sale of umbrellas or preparation for inclement weather of any kind. SIX: No bedframe or mattress may be sold measuring more than 38 inches wide. SEVEN: The only permissible paint colors shall be BLACK, WHITE or GRAY, despite the recent availability of certain alternatives. EIGHT: All elementary and high school curriculums shall teach the "non-changist" view of history--emphasizing "continuity" over "alteration." Wow.

George: You know, your mom went out.

David/Bud: Went out?

George: Yeah.

David/Bud: When?

George: Three days ago.

...

George: What happened Bud? One minute everything was fine and the next... What went wrong?

David/Bud: Nothing went wrong... People change.

George: People change?

David/Bud: Yeah.

George: How?

David/Bud: How? Well... Sometimes they realize that what they thought they needed isn't what they need anymore... Sometimes they see that what they're scared of -- they don't need to be scared of anymore. Sometimes they just... let go.

George: Can they change back?

David/Bud: I don't know. I think that's harder.

Taglines

Nothing is as simple as Black and White.

Pleasantville - It's Just Around the Corner

Cast

Tobey Maguire - David/Bud
Reese Witherspoon - Jennifer/Mary Sue
William H. Macy - George Parker
Joan Allen - Betty Parker
Jeff Daniels - Bill Johnson
J.T. Walsh - Big Bob
Don Knotts - TV Repairman
Marley Shelton - Margaret
Paul Walker - Skip Martin
Jane Kaczmarek - David's Mom
Erik MacArthur - Will
Dawn Cody - Betty Jean
Maggie Lawson - Lisa Anne
Andrea Baker - Peggy Jane
Lela Ivey - Miss Peters
Jim Patric - Tommy
Marc Blucas - Basketball Hero

Quoternity