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 her role, Julia Roberts observed art history classes at New York University.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The slide of the Sistine Chapel in Katherine's Christmas present is a photo of the Chapel ceiling after it was restored in the 1990s.

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:

Referenced in Kingdom of the Vampire (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Santa Baby

Formulaic nice-teacher film...

1st watched 4/4/2004 - 5 out of 10(Dir-Mike Newell): Formulaic nice-teacher film with Julia Roberts as the nice teacher. The only difference between this movie and many others about a teacher who changes the students lives supposedly for the better is that it occurs at an all-girls school(can you say `Dead Poets Soceity' for women). Roberts is watchable as usual, but that's about it. The stories of the students is much more interesting but not enough screen time is given for this and what we end up getting is a very surfacy film about life and love in the early 50's for young girls. It's a shame because the intended topic, women's changing role in society, seems to be given second place to the stars and their performances. It's possible that because I'm a man, the story didn't grip me like it should have but I couldn't change sexes just for this review. My best advice is try it and see if you like it and disagree with me if you want, but this is my interpretation of this `could have been good film' that wasn't.