Movies Like Pleasantville (1998)

Pleasantville is a 1998 comedy, drama, fantasy film from Gary Ross with a MovieMagicScore of 7.3/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Giver and Come Clean.

Comedy Drama Fantasy

The Giver

2014

In a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the "real" world.

6.6

MagicScore

Come Clean

1931

The Hardys wish to have a quiet evening in their apartment, but are interrupted when the Laurels pay a visit. Stan and Ollie go out for ice cream, and manage to prevent a shrewish woman from committing suicide on the way back home. The woman is ungrateful and makes threats against the them unless they look after her. They spend a chaotic evening trying to keep her hidden from their wives.

7.1

MagicScore

Calendar Girl

1993

Three young men go on an end of the summer trip to Hollywood, California. Their quest: to fulfill the fantasy of meeting Marilyn Monroe.

5.1

MagicScore

Gas Food Lodging

1992

Nora, a single mother raising two teenage daughters, Shade and Trudi, waits tables at a truck-stop diner in a small New Mexico town. The beautiful and rebellious Trudi drops out of school and gets a job alongside Nora, while the younger Shade whittles away her time at Spanish movie matinees. Their lives are turned upside down when Trudi becomes pregnant and the girls' absent father returns.

6.3

MagicScore

Vixen!

1968

In a Canadian mountain resort, Vixen Palmer resides with her naive pilot husband Tom. While he's away flying in tourists, she sleeps with practically everybody including a husband and his wife, and even her biker brother. However, the only one she won't bed is her brother's friend... who is Black.

5.5

MagicScore

The Shape of Water

2017

An other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1962, where a mute janitor working at a lab falls in love with an amphibious man being held captive there and devises a plan to help him escape.

7.2

MagicScore

Liberty Heights

1999

This semi-autobiographical film by Barry Levinson follows various members of the Kurtzman clan, a Jewish family living in suburban Baltimore during the 1950s. As teenaged Ben completes high school, he falls for Sylvia, a black classmate, creating inevitable tensions. Meanwhile, Ben's brother, Van, attends college and becomes smitten with a mysterious woman while their father tries to maintain his burlesque business.

6.6

MagicScore

District 9

2009

Thirty years ago, aliens arrive on Earth. Not to conquer or give aid, but to find refuge from their dying planet. Separated from humans in a South African area called District 9, the aliens are managed by Multi-National United, which is unconcerned with the aliens' welfare but will do anything to master their advanced technology. When a company field agent contracts a mysterious virus that begins to alter his DNA, there is only one place he can hide: District 9.

7.5

MagicScore

The Tree of Life

2011

The impressionistic story of a Texas family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith.

6.7

MagicScore

#10

Fahrenheit 451

1966

In the future, the government maintains control of public opinion by outlawing literature and maintaining a group of enforcers, known as “firemen,” to perform the necessary book burnings. Fireman Montag begins to question the morality of his vocation…

7.1

MagicScore

#11

The Man in the Moon

1991

Maureen Trant and her younger sibling Dani share a strong connection, but local boy Court Foster threatens to throw their bond off balance. Dani and Court meet first and have a flirtatious rapport -- but when he meets Maureen, he falls hard and they begin a passionate affair. The new couple try to keep their love hidden from Dani, but she soon learns the truth, disavowing her sister. But a heartbreaking accident later reunites the girls.

7.3

MagicScore

#12

Fahrenheit 451

2018

In an oppressive future, a 'fireman' whose duty is to destroy all books begins to question his task.

5.4

MagicScore

#13

Suddenly

1954

The tranquility of a small town is marred only by sheriff Tod Shaw's unsuccessful courtship of widow Ellen Benson, a pacifist who can't abide guns and those who use them. But violence descends on Ellen's household willy-nilly when the U.S. President passes through town... and slightly psycho hired assassin John Baron finds the Benson home ideal for an ambush.

6.3

MagicScore

#14

Equilibrium

2002

In a dystopian future, a totalitarian regime maintains peace by subduing the populace with a drug, and displays of emotion are punishable by death. A man in charge of enforcing the law rises to overthrow the system.

7.0

MagicScore

#15

The Truman Show

1998

In a picture-perfect seaside town, an insurance salesman begins to realize that his entire existence may be staged and observed by a vast unseen audience as part of a long-running real-time reality TV show.

8.2

MagicScore

#16

Grease

1978

Australian good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance despite their eccentric friends?

7.4

MagicScore

#17

Get a Horse!

2013

Mickey, Minnie, Horace Horsecollar, and Clarabelle Cow go on a musical wagon ride until Peg-Leg Pete tries to run them off the road.

7.6

MagicScore

#18

Network

1976

When veteran anchorman Howard Beale is forced to retire his 25-year post because of his age, he announces to viewers that he will kill himself during his farewell broadcast. Network executives rethink their decision when his fanatical tirade results in a spike in ratings.

7.8

MagicScore

#19

Sweet Thing

2020

For Billie and Nico, life with their father is a roller-coaster ride of playfulness and unease. When he is in the grip of alcohol, tears flow and their apparently idyllic family life collapses. Their mostly absent and irresponsible mother is not much help either. But their friendship with Malik, a boy of Billie’s age, frees them from their shackles. Together they embark on a journey full of intense moments of freedom. The colourful, emotional world of the three young people is depicted in kaleidoscopic black and white imagery, which opens space for their own notions of childhood. Alexandre Rockwell's tale portrays a profound sense of solidarity and deep love: for cinema and Billie Holiday, and also for risk and adventure.

6.6

MagicScore

#20

I Saw the TV Glow

2024

Teenager Owen is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate Maddy introduces him to a mysterious TV show — a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack.

6.1

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Pleasantville?

The top films similar to Pleasantville by MovieMagicScore are The Giver (6.6), Come Clean (7.1), Calendar Girl (5.1). Each shares comedy/drama/fantasy themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Pleasantville worth watching?

Pleasantville holds a MovieMagicScore of 7.3/10 from 1,783 viewer ratings, putting it among the better-reviewed titles in its genre.

What kind of movie is Pleasantville?

Pleasantville (1998) is a comedy, drama, fantasy film directed by Gary Ross, starring Tobey Maguire, Reese Witherspoon, William H. Macy.

Where can I find more recommendations like Pleasantville?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more comedy recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Giver Movies like Come Clean Movies like Calendar Girl Movies like Gas Food Lodging Movies like Vixen!Movies like The Shape of Water

About movies like Pleasantville

This ranked list pairs Pleasantville (1998), a comedy and drama and fantasy film from Gary Ross, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Tobey Maguire take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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