Mona Lisa Smile (2003)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Mike Newell

Writers (WGA):

Lawrence Konner (written by) &
Mark Rosenthal (written by)

Release Date:

19 December 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

In a world that told them how to think, she showed them how to live.

Plot:

A free-thinking art professor teaches conservative 50's Wellesley girls to question their traditional societal roles.

Plot Keywords:

Student | College | Art | 1950s | Art History

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 5 nominations

Cast

Julia Roberts	...	Katherine Ann Watson
Kirsten Dunst	...	Betty Warren
Julia Stiles	...	Joan Brandwyn
Maggie Gyllenhaal	...	Giselle Levy
Ginnifer Goodwin	...	Connie Baker
Dominic West	...	Bill Dunbar
Juliet Stevenson	...	Amanda Armstrong
Marcia Gay Harden	...	Nancy Abbey
John Slattery	...	Paul Moore
Marian Seldes	...	President Jocelyn Carr
Donna Mitchell	...	Mrs. Warren
Terence Rigby	...	Dr. Edward Staunton
Jennie Eisenhower	...	Girl at the Station
Leslie Lyles	...	Housing Director
Laura Allen	...	Susan Delacorte

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and thematic issues.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Brazil:12 | Canada:G (British Columbia/Ontario/Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Iceland:L | Malaysia:U | Finland:S | South Korea:12 | Netherlands:AL | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Hong Kong:IIA | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Spain:7

Filming Locations:

Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

In order to prepare for their roles, the leads were all put through a finishing school two weeks prior to filming.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the Maypole dance, the first shot of the maypole already has a tight pattern made at the top. In the second shot of the maypole, the ribbons are just starting to go around the pole.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Betty Warren: [voiceover] All her life, she had wanted to teach at Wellesley College. So, when a position opened in the Art History department, she pursued it single-mindedly until she was hired. It was whispered that Katherine Watson, a first-year teacher from Oakland State, made up in brains what she lacked in pedigree. Which was why this bohemian from California was on her way to the most conservative college in the nation.

Movie Connections:

Features Once Upon a Honeymoon (1956)

Soundtrack:

By the Light of the Silvery Moon

Will raise the spirits of all but the most hard hearted.

My granddaughters like to watch movies over and over. With Mona Lisa Smile, I'm with them. This is a movie that will lift you up and make you smile.

Some reviewers on this site claim the movie has a liberal agenda. Well, if its liberal to want young ladies to consider all their options and be able to reach for the stars - if they choose, then who can disagree. Label me with an "L".

Recent movies that I will watch again include Groundhog Day, In America, The Emperor's Club, and In & Out. If you liked most of these, watch this movie.

You won't be disappointed. And be sure to watch the credits at the end, the part done to the song "The Heart of Every Girl." The older generation will really relate.