"it might be "
"right behind you father."
what's a mother to do?
hi. i mean .  .  hi.
look. you probably don't think i should be asking you this. i mean--not knowing you well and all .
i mean i know you--everybody knows you .  i just don't know you .  technically.
well--i was just wondering--'cause i see you all the time in algebra and i heard you humming that van halen song and i really like that song too .  anyhow, i don't know what you're doing this weekend but my mom's leaving town and she said i could use her car so .
easy. mr. jenkins. what job did mr. jenkins have?
salesman. what did bud and mary sue name the cat they found in the gutter?
marmalade.
okay--here's one: why did their parents come home early from their weekend at the lake?
'cause bud didn't answer the phone and they were worried about him.
marathon starts at 6:30. contest's tomorrow at noon.
of course it is howard. that's why they call it a marathon.
 he's not homeless howard, they just don't say where he lives. well it's a silly question. because nobody's homeless in pleasantville.
 because that's just not what it's like.
listen howard--it's almost six-thirty. i gotta go.
what are you doing?
well great. the pleasantville marathon starts at six thirty.
yeah. every episode ever.
weil great. you can watch tv upstairs.
oh my god .  oh my god .
no you can't, jen! it's a new tv. it doesn't work without a remote.
yeah .  sort of .
you know, we didn't call any tv repair.
the pleasantville marathon starts at six thirty.
 her father.
 like prince charming.
yeah .
mcintire's.
no. mcintire's. remember: "for the very best in men's attire, head right down to mcintire's."
ooomph?
how much does it cost?
hunh.
great.
no way.
forget it jen, i've waited a year for this.
get lost!
oh my god.
i'm not sure.
i don't know.
what the hell's going on!
we're in pleasantville?
you--you gotta get us out of here.
because we don't belong!
my name's david.
look--we appreciate it. we really do. we just--we want to go home now.
don't get upset.
where are you going .
wait a minute!!
come back!!!
oh god.
i don't know .  it's not possible .  is it possible?
it can't be possible.
i don't believe this.
just take deep breaths.
we're supposed to be in school.
hello mr. simpson.
oh yeah. a buick. it's swell.
owns the hardware store.
we just gotta play along for a little while .  till that guy shows up again. then i'll talk to him and .
well, yeah. i'm .  bud parker and you're .  um--mary sue.
we don't have a choice jen. we're stuck until he comes back.
to who?
biff martin. captain of the basketball team.
as a matter of fact he does.
peggy jane, lisa anne and betty jean.
i don't think so.
wow.
oh god! are we in that episode?
i don't believe it.
you want to ask her out tonight, right? and then you want to give her your school pin .
lucky guess. look, biff .  i don't think it's a real good time for that right now .
what i mean is .  mary sue's been a little "different" lately .
i didn't say that. it's just that right now .
look, i'm sure we'll work something out. i'll talk to her or something.
honest. it'll be fine.
one date, jen--that's all i'm asking. if you don't go out with this guy we could throw their whole universe out of whack.
what?
what were you doing in a library?
jennifer!
jen, listen .
i'll get us out of here. i really will. but if we don't play along we could alter their whole existence. we may never get home.
it's in your closet.
he won't notice anyway.
they don't notice that kind of thing.
jen please .
just go with the program--hunh? i'm late for work.
sorry .  i had to help my folks and then i couldn't find my hat .
what's wrong?
yeah .
i'm sorry.
you know, if this ever happens again, you can make the fries even if i haven't put out the napkins yet.
i understand.
peppermint shake, chocolate soda, two orders of fries and a split?
what?
listen to me!
do you have the lettuce?
have you cooked the burgers?
well you can just put on the lettuce, finish the burger and pretend it was me doing it all along.
really. it's fine.
what can i get you two?
couple of cheeseburgers and two cherry cokes. if you need anything, i'll be right over there.
noooooo!
you can't do this jennifer! he doesn't exist! you can't do this to someone who doesn't exist!
thanks a lot.
have you seen mary sue?
no, i .  i was just .  worried about her.
oh no .  i'm fine.
i'm fine.
oh hi!
oh, yeah. sorry. i'm fine. i just .  had to get home early.
yeah .
yeah .
well, look, thanks for coming by. i .  really appreciate it.
what did you do to him?
what do you mean "nothing?" that's not nothing. that's .
oh no .
oh my god .
you can't do this, jennifer. i warned you.
you don't understand. you're messing with their universe.
you have no right to do this.
they're happy like this.
i just don't think we have the right to .
they don't have that kind of potential.
what'll it be?
really? it seems so fattening.
two cheeseburgers, two cherry cokes.
look. i thought we talked about this, i thought we said .
c'mere.
what did you say?
what are you talking about! you make hamburgers! that is the point!
just listen to me .
forget about that!
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.
so they can have their hamburgers!
 what's that?
wow .  that's pretty good .
i think you should try not to think about this anymore.
yeah.
oh my god!
jesus christ .
fire! fire!
cat!!!
right here!
here! grab this nozzle.
just grab it!
okay! now point this right at the flames--like this.
oh. thanks, margaret.
oh, no .  you baked those for whitey.
no. you baked them for whitey.
um .  thanks.
it's okay.
it's fine.
sure.
how you doin?
what?
well--where i used to live .  that's just what firemen did.
um .  outside of pleasantville.
look it doesn't matter. it's not important.
it's really not important.
well .  there are some places where the road doesn't go in a circle. there are some places where it keeps on going.
well--it all just keeps going. roads .  rivers .
 what?
i thought the books were blank?
the pages filled in?
well, yeah .  i do.
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.
oh my god.
hunh? oh yeah .  well this is great. see--holden caulfield is like this really lonely kid.
i'll get her.
are you okay?
are you alright?
it's okay. it's alright.
have you got any make up?
okay--first we'll dry you out a little.
looks just like it did.
no .  they won't be able to tell.
wait.
it's fine.
sure.
hi.
i brought you something .  from the library.
it's an art book.
open it.
i just thought since you liked painting it might help to .
what's wrong?
oh, well--you're just starting out. i mean, you can't do it .
hi.
look, i probably shouldn't be asking you this--not knowing you that well and all .
it's just that my folks are gonna stay home and they said i could use their car. .  you want to go out with me tonight?
 lover's lane?
sorry .
"oh when the saints .  go marching in "
 hi.
i can't.
talk about it. right now, i mean. i got to .  um .
oh .  i do. yeah. it's just that i told my "dad" i'd clean out the rain gutters and mr. johnson wanted me to .  to change the tape in the register .
re-runs?
oh, i know they're not. but i mean-- they're just "cookies" after all .
well they're not just cookies. i mean, they're great cookies .  look, i'd love to get into this whole thing but i'm really running late. why don't we hook up tomorrow?
terrific. i'll talk to you then.
nothing.
listen .
you're reading?
 yeah.
that's great.
well .  i just .  can i ask you a question?
remember when you told me that lisa rosenberg liked me?
well--did she really like me or were you just making that up.
you weren't playing a joke? she woulda gone out with me?
wow.
yes.
what?
oh, i don't know. maybe .  .  it's not just the sex .
oh .  right.
wow.
what's that smell?
mmmmgh.
yeah .  i guess. i don't know.
what?
oh. don't know .  it's different.
well it's louder .  and scarier i guess .  and .  and a lot more dangerous .
yeah.
well it's big. and it's blue .  .  it's really really blue.
hunh?
they just grow like that?
rain.
yeah .  you don't have rain either?
right. of course you don't .
we'll just put up the top.
it's fine. come on.
it's alright. there's nothing to be afraid of.
i got you something.
it was a prop for the school play .
sure .
hello whitey.
no reason. how come you're not?
why don't you guys just get the hell out of here.
it's fine .  it doesn't mean anything.
oh--well .
what do you mean?
look--it just sort of "happened" .
i had nothing to do with that.
look .
 only if they mean it.
i didn't do anything wrong.
why?
no you're not.
i'm sorry .  i can't let you do that.
i'm going to leave now.
come on!
come on!
get out of here!
are you alright?
what?
come on.
oh my god.
are you alright? are you okay?
we should be okay up here.
we better go.
i'm not sure.
oh my god.
it's okay. it's me.
let's go inside.
hello?
well he's right. come on. let's turn these booths back up. "mary sue", why don't you help me slide this in front of the door. we'll be okay in here.
"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: pat boone, johnny mathis, perry como, jack jones, the marches of john phillips souza or the star spangled banner. in no event shall any music be tolerated that is not of a temperate or "pleasant" nature."
"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 exterior 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.
sure you are.
stick together till you get off main street.
it's okay. we'll get you a new one.
maybe i have an idea.
yes i did.
yes i do.
because anybody should be able to paint in whatever color they want.
still doesn't make it right.
c'mere, dan. i'll help you.
i thought it might be you.
i am actually .  glad to see you've finally shown your true colors.
why?
why don't you just take me back without it?
so .  i guess as long as i'm here, all sorts of things could happen to this place. we could have pink lawns and blue trees .
i'm sorry. i can't do that.
they weren't my memories. i borrowed them. it's no good when you borrow them.
i don't know .  three, four weeks.
i'm going on trial tomorrow?
there's worse places.
um .  yes i do. where's our lawyer?
well--it was dark out .
it was accessible to everyone.
i think i've got something to say.
i think i know why you're doing this. i mean, i understand why you're doing this. i used to feel the same way. i used to want this place to stay just the way it was. i never wanted it to change .
but nothing stays the same. you get things, and you lose things, and that's the good part and the bad part--but you can't have a good part without a bad part.
it's like the basketball team.
sure. everybody's upset because they're not winning anymore--but just think how it would feel if all of a sudden they do win.
wouldn't it feel better than when they used to win all the time?
see, i know you want it to stay "pleasant" but there are so many things that are so much better: like silly .  or sexy .  or dangerous .  or wild .  or brief .  and every one of those things is in you all the time if you just have the guts to look for them. look at those faces back there. they're no different than you are. they just happened to see something inside themselves that you don't want to .
i thought i was allowed to defend myself.
i'm not lying .  here i'll show you.
mr. simpson .
what color is that hedge of yours?
no, not that hedge. the other one.
the one in your mind. the one that you see on a bright cold morning. the one that you see when you walk in front of your house and you just stand there and stare.
what color is that hedge?
alright. dad .
don't you miss her?
i mean, of course you do, but it isn't just the cooking or the cleaning that you miss--it's something else, isn't it .
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. you might even call it "love."
now don't you think she looks just as pretty in color? don't you think she looks just as pretty as she did the day you met her?
don't you wish you could tell her that?
why am i out of order?
well i don't think it's a circus. and i don't think they do either.
but see that's just the point. it can't stop at once. because it's in you. and you can't stop something that's in you.
oh sure it is.
what do you want to do to me right now?
c'mon. everyone's turning colors. kids are making out in the street. no one's getting their dinner-- hell, you could have a flood any minute .  pretty soon you could have the women going off to work while the men stayed home and cooked .
but it could happen.
are you sure?
this thing works. we could go home right now.
honestly .  no.
you got the admissions letter.
and you're sure about this?
i'll come back and check on you in a month.
no i won't. i swear.
i like it too.
you're gonna keep painting aren't you?
well .
it's beautiful.
thanks. i thought you weren't gonna .
i won't.
 it's a pretty short trip.
thanks .  i love you.
you better stand back a little.