Customer Reviews

Mona Lisa Smile [VHS]

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(56)
3 star:		(55)
2 star:		(24)
1 star:		(28)

 

 

Fresh out of graduate school in California, Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) lands her dream job: Art History professor at Wellesley College, an exclusive all-girl private school in Massachusetts.

Watson is a "forward thinking liberal" from sunny California - finding herself in a land where women are educating themselves for the sole purpose of marrying well and then making no use of their intellect.

Surprisingly written by two men (Lawrence Konner & Mark Rosenthal), the movie has an all-star cast: Roberts, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal (you will be hearing a lot about her in the future), and Marcia Gay Harden... battling their way through the 1950s mentality of girdles, washing machines and pipe-smoking, well-bred husbands.

Intending to ace their way through college so they can get on with producing heirs, Watson's students have already memorized the text and syllabus, so Watson re-writes their lesson plan and annoys everyone on campus with her feather-ruffling, "subversive" ideas.

I was expecting this film to be a preachy feminist diatribe, but it wasn't. It was about lust vs. love, loyalty vs. society, and heart-felt emotion vs. hiding behind a sweet smile and a stony heart. The film does not present marriage as a farce or promescuity as the preferred option - rather it embraces the idea that a woman can have a family AND still learn and grow and be more than a proper hostess and trophy wife.

Watson is not portrayed as the all-wise, all-knowing, always-right person - rather she is someone who awakens her students to the possibility that they can do more than be consumers and baby factories - they can know and understand art and radical ideas - without having to like either... but at least to have a more rounded view of life than the narrow objectives portrayed on television and print media at the time.

In the mid-1950s (when this movie is set), Watson's subversive notions do not make her popular with the staff, but they make her very popular with most of her students.

While there is no nudity and only a couple of "bad" words used, there are mature themes and lots of implied non-traditional sexual relationships, so parents should be aware.

While I am always impressed with Julia Roberts' acting ability, and even though she was the lead - I really think it will be Maggie Gyllenhall and newcomer Ginnifer Goodwin (Connie Baker) that will be most noted for their performances in this film - believable, flawless and truly stellar. Topher Grace ("That 70's Show," "Traffic") makes another impressive (albeit small) appearance into a substantial film, ironically the love interest of Julia Stiles as was the case in "Traffic" and Tori Amos has a brief singing role.

In the end, this is a sweet, feel-good movie peppered with some bitter-sweet moments. Make sure you stay for the credits featuring old film reels of 1950s women in action.

My daughter, who had seen this film and loved it, suggested that we watch it together. I agreed and was very glad I did so, as I really enjoyed this bittersweet film. It is a well-acted, well-directed effort about a free-thinking art history professor, Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts), who in the nineteen fifties, lacking Ivy League credentials, manages, through a twist of fate, to get a berth as a professor at traditional and conservative Wellesley College. It is here that she hopes to find herself instructing the leaders of tomorrow.

What she finds, instead, is a group of highly intelligent, young women, who are more interested in marrying the leaders of tomorrow than in being leaders themselves. Ms. Watson succeeds in opening the minds of her students to the possibilities and choices life can offer and learns a little about such possibilities and choices herself. She also finds friendship and romance while at Wellesley College. The film also focuses on four of her students, all of whom are given stellar portrayals by the young actresses playing them.

Elizabeth "Betty" Warren (Kirsten Dunst) is the quintessential fifties girl, obsessed with getting her Mrs. before getting her BA. She later discovers that one should be careful for what one wishes. She is also a nasty piece of work who doesn't care what misery for others her poison pen invectives and barbed comments cause. She eventually gets her comeuppance in a way that she never envisioned. Her best friend, Joan Brandwyn (Julia Styles), is a beautiful, highly intelligent, young woman who harbors a secret wish to become a lawyer. Yet, at the same time, she desperately wants to become a wife and mother. Hers is a decision between choices. She ultimately makes a choice that causes Ms. Watson some consternation but with which she is happy. Giselle Levy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a young Jewish miss in a WASP environment who finds herself having short term affairs with her hunky professor and with an older, married man. Connie Baker (Ginnifer Goodwin) is a pleasingly plump, pretty cellist who finds true love, only to find it derailed by the ever evil Betty.

Marcia Gay Harden is brilliant in the supporting role of Nancy Abbey, Wellesley College's professor of etiquette and deportment, who, one discovers, has not always followed her own staid advice. Noted British actress, Juliet Stevenson, is outstanding in the small role of Amanda Armstrong, the college nurse and closet lesbian, who is still mourning the loss of her companion of many years. Marian Seldes is perfectly cast as President Jocelyn Carr, whose role at the college seems to be that of keeping the well-heeled alumni and trustees of Wellesley College happy with the status quo. Donna Mitchell turns in a stunning performance as Betty's self-absorbed mother, a woman who is a slave to the expected and puts appearances before her daughter's happiness. Julia Roberts is luminous as the role of Katherine Watson, infusing it with an intelligence and natural warmth that radiates off the screen. Though she has a little bit too contemporary an edge, she still manages to carry the day in the role of the forward thinking professor with the Mona Lisa smile.

All in all, this is a wonderful, highly enjoyable film in which the social mores and style of the nineteen fifties are well depicted.

This is a great "chick flick" movie, one I've watched many times already.

When I first watched it, the film brought back painful memories. I can see how my mother, who came from a family of career women (although typical "female" professions such as School Teacher and Nurse), was frustrated at being shoved into the box of housewife and mother. She was never happy in that role, and after seeing this movie, I can see what tremendous pressure women were under back in the 1950's to conform. When she got married, my mother gave up a job she enjoyed because my father and society expected her to do so.

My mother did not get a college education because my grandfather did not think it was worth educating girls; her brother got the college education. Seeing these bright college girls in the movie was sad, because you knew almost all of them would never use what they learned.

I went to college in the 1970's and was still getting ribbed by older men as getting my "MRS" Degree, snicker, snicker. I never found that joke funny and I still don't. This movie gives the origin of that attitude that still is prevalent today. A college educated woman is still not worth what a college educated man is; otherwise, women's salaries would be on equal par with men's in all professions.

The superb costumes and hairstyles reflect the period and were historically accurate, except Julia Roberts' hair seemed a bit too contemporary at times. Yes, she was portrayed as a Bohemian Feminist from California, but her hair and makeup lacked that fifties Bohemian look. (Note Audrey Hepburn's Hair and Makeup in 1957's "Funny Face.")

The soundtrack was also excellent, reflecting the time period and popular music of the 1950's.

I would LOVE to see a sequel, featuring all the same characters 10-11 years later, around 1963-64. That was such a turbulent year, and I'd love to see how these characters were affected by the political changes and climate of that time.

I was very pleased with how this movie turned out (except the whole Bill situation could have been taken out. it didn't really match her ideals really..). When I saw previews for it, I knew at once I wanted to see it but was afraid Hollywood would ruin it. On the contrary, I was very moved.

I was really impressed how they addressed what is expected from all women, but also how all women are DIFFERENT. On one hand, there is Katherine Watson who believes women should not simply get married and have children, that there is "more to life" than motherhood. On the other hand, there is the university and most of its faculty and students who believe the opposite. And then there are the very few (or maybe one) in between who believe in possibilities... Though the character Katherine Watson has a noble agenda to change the rigid motherly ideals of the school, she has simply fled to the opposite extreme with rigid academic ideals.

Though this movie takes place in the 1950's, these themes are NOT irrelevent. Take it from a college girl herself (and many of my friends) - many of these expectations and pressures still exist in different forms. Replace Katherine with your high school, your peers, and your parents, and replace the Wellesley of the 1950s with your grandmothers, your aunts, your friends and you have MY life with a seemingly opposite but very similar struggle.

Therefore, I give this movie 5 stars. It realistically depicts the struggle that can still be seen in many women's lives today, but does not provide a cop-out answer for the masses. Like the analogy in the film of the paint-by-number sets, women are not cookie cutter shapes!

All the actresses in this movie did a wonderful job. Julia Stiles, Julia Roberts, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and more.. I was easily able to relate to these characters, and their development is exceptionally interesting. This film holds much significance to those of us women who have lived it out in one way or another.

The 1950's--a time of growth and prosperity in the US, but the Cold War had jump-started immediately after World War II. Mona Lisa Smile is set in 1953, the time of the McCarthy hearings, I Love Lucy, and though not mentioned, the execution of the Rosenbergs. Keeping up with the Joneses thus meant a time to conform to the conservative ideology of economic prosperity, where Victorian values regarding women had made something of a comeback.

Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts is a bastion of conservatism, and into this, from California, enters a new art history instructor, Katherine Watson. She is a progressive person, and isn't too keen on the rigid curriculum, but she better watch out, lest she be cut down in one of the school editorials written by Betty Warren. A warning shot comes to her when Amanda Armstrong, the college nurse and boarding house mate, a lesbian, is dismissed for the harmless and progressive act of distributing contraceptives.

After a disastrous first day (imagine a class where everybody's Hermione Granger), Watson decides to shift the emphasis of her class to modern art, such as abstracts, culminating in an outing where she shows them a Jackson Pollock. She tries to tell the students that conforming to the roles defined for them by Cold War culture is a dull, unfulfilling future of servitude. The point of college is to enrich oneself, not a waiting room where one waits to find a husband and thus become entrapped. Thus modern art represents the new era, a new way of defining art, such as "is it art?" or "who determines what is art?" which translates to "is this fulfillment" or "who determines what is expected of women?"

However, her progressive views aren't taken too well by the head of the college and she is told to tone down her liberal teaching methods. And this also hits in the classroom in her conflicts with Betty, someone all too eager to conform to the woman's life of getting married as the good housewife and bearer of children.

It's the students as well as Watson who play a central role in the film. Giselle is the most interesting and most liberated of all the students. She has affairs with many men, including an instructor and even her analyst. At one point, during the marital etiquette class, she makes a wisecrack that makes it clear she doesn't take conventional life seriously. Another who has promise is Joan, an A student who protests getting a C by Watson. Jo wants to go to Yale and study law, hoping she can squeeze in the one slot available to women every year.

The banality of conformism comes through in the Paint By Numbers sets, where one fills in the colours and can draw their own Van Gogh, ironic as Van Gogh's art defied convention. Another subtle hint of the old school being dragged kicking in screaming into the postmodern age is the "Istanbul" number, where the lyrics state how the good old days are missed when Istanbul used to be Constantinople. The way the old fogies are portrayed here, I was surprised they didn't long for the days when it was Byzantium!

I rolled my eyes at the roles Julia Roberts was in following her Oscar win in Erin Brockovich, but Mona Lisa Smile proves she's back on again. Chalk this up with her better vehicles such as Pretty Woman and Notting Hill.Of the students, Maggie Gyllenhall shines out as Giselle, followed closely by Julia Stiles as Joan.

What comes out here is a movie showing women who are brave enough to defy convention despite fears of ostracization and do something else in a frightening Cold War America.

This is one of those movies that, for some reason, the critics decided to gang up on. I'm not sure why. Maybe because for some "Mona Lisa Smile" was too feminist, and for others not feminist enough. But let me try to make you understand why this film, while not perfect, is definitely worth a look.

First of all, in terms of politics, mentalities, clothes, and music, it does a great job of recapturing the early 1950s. Second, while the story might be just a little bit hokey (a brilliant young female professor heads to an elite women's college to shake things up), the movie has quite a group of legitimate issues to raise and then examine. And this is all done with some of the finest young actresses working today.

Many critics say that because the sexual revolution is over (and that's debatable--just watch "The Apprentice" on NBC!), the lessons of "Mona Lisa Smile" don't matter any more. I think that's dead wrong.

In addition, the film is not nagging and is not preachy, as some have suggested. It's an enjoyable mental journey back in time, a careful look at a few lives of a half-century ago. It is a well-told, revealing look, and, I suspect, well worth your attention.

This is a really eye-opening film. Instead of women being mere cheerleaders from the sidelines, the teacher challenges their education and encourages them to apply it. Back then women went to school to become better conversation partners for their husbands (and to be a better hostess for her husbands' friends), impress their families, etc...but still stayed at home and was still judged on her ability to keep it clean, have children and be faithful and a good parent (even if the husband was not). In the social (pecking) order or hierarchy, femininity still meant playing the doll, and marriage was a trap for reasons other than true love. Essentially women can do almost anything a man can, even be in business, leaders and soldiers. Arguments about representing only the majority leads to being artificially handicapped (disabled and disarmed). There are inner natural abilities and the outer, aesthetic stereotypical/traditional gender roles a society or culture imposes upon oneself. Which do you choose?

Exquisite! Truly a must see for all women age 13 and over, and for the men who love them. A moving, sophisticated, meaningful, and notable look at women and the complexities of women's issues in the 1950's, which are still highly relevant today. The acting is compelling; the script is intelligent; and the cinematography, sets, and costume design are enchanting. See it and gain a new appreciation of your mother or grandmother. Enjoy!

This movie has been called "Dead Poets Society for girls", and while there are strong similarities between these two movies, Mona Lisa Smile stands on its own. Julia Roberts plays Katherine Howard, a "California bohemian" who comes to Wellesley College to teach History of Art to a group of (mostly) spoiled rich girls who are there just biding their time until they get married. She intends to change this by making them see they can do whatever they want to do with their lives, not just someone's wives.

Of course, trying to change tradition and the College's establishment doesn't come cheaply, as she is seen by her students as someone not worthy (why isn't she married?) and as someone dangerous by the school's governing body. She doesn't follow tradition, doesn't obey the rules and has what they call unorthodox ways of teaching, like taking the girls to see modern art and not following the curse's syllabus.

As time passes and the girls get to know her, things start to change, and by the end of the movie everyone has learned a valuable lesson in life.

One of the main differences between this movie and Dead Poets Society is that it mainly follows Katherine's life, leaving the students' lives as secondary stories, while in DPS it's the other way around. We do however share some moments with some of the other characters, namely Betty Warren (Dunst), the bratty, spoiled girl who despises Katherine and her ways, Joan Brandwyn (Stiles), who is somewhat torn between life as a housewife and going to Law school, Connie Baker (Goodwin), whose not as beautiful as the other girls and only dreams of finding love, and Giselle Levy (Gyllenhall), the wild, sexy girl. Most of the movie, however, centers on Katherine's struggles both on and off campus, as she starts a romantic relationship with the school's Italian teacher (West).

Set in the 50's, this movie deal mainly with the subject of liberation and equality, its message being that women can be all they want to be, not only wives.

The acting in the film is solid, starting with Roberts, but the real standouts are the girls. Dunst does mean and bitchy very well, and Stiles gives another good performance, but the two shining characters are Goodwin and Gyllenhall. Marcia Gay Harden, as the repressed Nancy Abbey, the school's teacher for "how to behave in society affairs" and Katherine's house mate.

I've just seen this movie last night and I've been moved to ponder over some of the more thought-provoking scenes for the whole of today.

Julia Roberts, soon-to-be timeless Hollywood actress, never ceases to charm with her infectious smile and occasional girlish giggles a la Pretty Woman. The ensemble of up and rising young actresses however, do not get much screen time to fully explore and develop their characters. Nevertheless, this is quite a charming story.

Superficially, Mona Lisa may have mirrored the much more inspiring and heart-wrenching tragedy of Dead Poets but Roberts' character is portrayed as being more self-serving. Catherine Watson, 1st year Art history teacher, came to Wellesley for the sole purpose of achieving her own purpose to make a difference and liberate the girls who are actually scared of their independence. Although her actions seem to stem from altruism, Dominic West's character rightly hits the nail on the head with the brutal truth - that Watson is really in Wellesley to see other people lead the life she really wants but never had.

Choice was featured prominently in Watson's exchanges with Joan (played by Julia Stiles from 10 Things I Hate About You). Furthering one's studies and proving that a new age woman can still manage her family is Watson's ideal and Joan chooses rightly so to pursue her own ideal goal of family life instead. Ironically, Joan was the one who epitomised the ideal modern woman that Watson was fighting for - A woman who has the insight into what she really wants and what she does not and who has no regrets about her decisions about what she wants to do with her life. Joan is truly the non-conformist in this movie, refusing to conform to the traditional rituals of huge weddings, the expectations of a true-blue American wife and more importantly, Watson's expectations of a true-blue American modern woman.

The other characters were sadly not given the opportunity to reflect the various gender issues and socio-political dimensions of the era other than the overused cliches of long-suffering wife with cheating husband, on-off-on-off and then on again relationships due to miscommunication (although the Men from Mars and Women from Venus pun was rather witty) and finally the self-destructing "New York Kite".

Overall a charming movie saved not by Mona Lisa's Smile but Julia Roberts'.

Take care of you