Question: I'm sure I'm missing something, but the ending didn't quite gel with me. I didn't get the significance of George Parker becoming Bill Johnson off-screen. Was it that given the fictional nature of the world/show, they were both different sides of the same person, or what? (01:51:45)
Chosen answer: I agree. I think there are a couple ways you could interpret this, but I took it to mean that Bill Johnson essentially became the new man in Betty Parker's life and that the show would continue reflecting this change.
Question: What is the purpose of the initial TV montage?
Answer: To me it never looked like a montage. It was just someone flipping through the channels (channel surfing) until they got to "TV Time" where they stayed to watch the commercial for the PleasanTVille marathon. People (especially before DVRs) sometimes just flip through the channels looking for something to watch, especially if you don't know what's playing on each channel.
Question: Why does the TV repairman chastise Bud's date for taking an apple off the tree to give to Bud? Even though it's a humorous biblical reference, it doesn't make sense that giving a fresh piece of fruit to someone would be inappropriate in Pleasantville.
Chosen answer: The repairman wanted things to stay the same in Pleasantville, and Bud's date was supposed to be dating Whitey, not Bud. The repairman doesn't like that Bud is changing Pleasantville.
Question: Is there anywhere where I can get the music from the Pleasantville trailer?
Chosen answer: Some of it was taken from the soundtrack to "Homeward Bound II: Lost In San Francisco" - the rest was specifically composed for the film.
Question: Does Riley (from Buffy-and sorry, don't know his real name) make a few appearances in the movie? And also Zac (Mark something) from Saved by the bell?
Answer: According to IMDb, Marc Blucas (Riley Finn) played Basketball Hero. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Zack) was not present.
Question: At the end, David (as Bud) leaves Pleasantville by using the remote control. Why didn't he do this in the first place when he realised that they were in Pleasantville? And where did the remote control come from?
Answer: Upon first being sucked into Pleasantville, both David and Jennifer were angry this had happened and wanted to leave Pleasantville immediately. The repairman was taken aback by this as he stated he spent years looking for the right super fan and believed David would see it as an honor. As a result of this lack of appreciation, he was hurt and essentially left David and Jennifer in the show believing it would be good for them. In terms of where the remote came from, David always had it after being sucked into the TV. When Betty Parker came into the living room and saw David [as Bud] in front of the TV [trying to get back in touch with the repairman] David stuck the remote behind the leg of the sofa when he realised they were stuck there.
Answer: The repairman is essentially the architect of the whole show. He doesn't allow them to leave at the beginning because he thought Tobi and Reece would be a good fit for those characters, it is never really explained why he wanted to change things because supposedly everything in Pleasantville stays the same, but who knows, little kid with a magnifying glass and a bunch of ants theory, maybe a god complex?
Answer: Because he didn't want to go back to his real life. By the end of the movie he's decided he wants to return.
He did want to leave at first, he even told the repair man to let them leave.
Answer: We don't see much of the "real world" after David returns other than his conversation with his mother. I am sure in time she would have been worried but there seem to be many unanswered questions which might make it not so simple.
Lummie ★
Considering that a couple of days in Pleasantville turned out to be just an hour in the real world, it's possible Jennifer could spend 3-4 years in uni and cone back with it being just a weekend in the real world. David could just make up something in that period she's gone.
Actually if a couple of days is just an hour than 3-4 years is more than 2 weeks.
lionhead