Customer Reviews

Playing Mona Lisa [VHS]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Playing Mona Lisa" is the story of a talented musician whose family is completly wacked out and whose personal life is even more so. Alicia Witt, who actually plays the piano pieces on and off-screen, plays the character tremendously. What a talented young woman! The rest of the cast, including Ivan Sergei, Brooke Langton, Johnny Galecki, Elliot Gould, and Marlo Thomas, add a wonderful humorous touch, each fitting his or her part flawlessly. One of my favorite characters from Seinfeld is present; George's mother, playing her typical hilarious obnoxious self. Perfect!

I have read a few critics' reviews of this movie, and I think that some are a bit too harsh. This is not an Oscar-worthy movie, so why treat it as one? Sit back and have fun, laugh at the ridiculous antics and play along with the at-times-unplausible yet intriguing story line. Bravo to the cast and crew for creating an uplifting, airy tale of life, love, music, and growing up.

This is the kind of DVD that makes me quite sad. Basically, the only advantage you have over the VHS version is that it is widescreen. Other than that, it really doesn't have any features, so the price seems a bit high.

The movie itself, however, is pretty amusing. Claire Goldstein(Alicia Witt) is a recent graduate in the field of fine arts -piano playing to be exact (which is appropriate since Witt plays the piano quite well in real life). When her boyfriend proposes to her, she is on the top of the world... and then falls all the way down when it turns out he was drunk and forgets all about it. Will her family and friends be able to bring her back up?

Some of the relatively minor characters are great, such as Estelle Harris, aka Estelle Costanza as Aunt Velva, and Elliot Gould and Marlo Thomas as Claire's parents. Overall, I'd say that this movie is more of a rental fare, unless your sure you'll watch it 8 or 9 times, given that there is no extended content on the disc.

I saw this movie a few years ago on one of my cable channels while I was lounging around my home. It has one of my favorite actresses in it, Alicia Witt, and she's actually playing the piano, which is has studied for years, in the movie. It's real quirky and interesting and funny to watch when you're in the mood to just watch movies and feel better about yourself.

This is one of those movies you see advertised before the movie you just rented! But it is worth watching! This movie makes you laugh and you can relate to it! A great storyline that can be enjoyed by families (of adolesants) and college kids in their dorms!! Great movie!! Hands down worth your time money and the effort it takes to point and click BUY!

I saw this movie on the Independent Film Channel on Direct TV just a few weeks ago and I must tell you that it is exellently writen and produced! It's a funny, emotionally moving film. It doesn't move too slow, had a wonderful cast and the cinematography/lighting/sound track perfectly fit the scenes and moods that the director wanted. I was totally impressed. I'm ordering 3 copies so I can give them to my closest friends. The story really speaks to women who have been in relationships that didn't work out or that had some rocky patches, and reminds us of the independance and self reliance that we each have within ourselves. It's really motivating!

I agree, this isn't the best movie ever made, but Alicia Witt carries this movie from start to finish. The whole idea of Harvey Fierstein being her mentor really works for me & she owns the role of Claire Goldstein. And with Elliott Gould & Marlo Thomas as your parents, what more could you ask for? It hits all the right notes.

two of my all-time favorite actors together and they are listed below alicia witt enough to not be shown on amazon's product details page. from 1966 to 1971, an excellent tv show, 'that girl', starred the daughter of early tv comedy, danny thomas. she did her dad proud and paved the way for the also excellent 'mary tyler moore show' which itself drew from the dick van dyke show as well. >>>>marlo thomas brought a fresh, liberated young woman's exuberance to screens across the nation and opened up viewers' minds to the special gifts women bring to dramatic entertainment. she reprises her relaxed acting style in this movie and is joined by the fantastic elliott gould, who starred in movies that stretched the role of actors in directions where knee-jerk authority-worship was challenged such as m*a*s*h and capricorn one. >>>>elliott gould, like the equally multi-dimensional actor richard benjamin, captured my imagination by bringing an important playfulness and humanism to movies. these two giants (to my mind there are few who went so far in their depictions of class-underdogs [as i believe most children imagine themselves when realistically assessing their 'place' in society] of small- and large- screen entertainment are a joy to re-encounter in this century. with our economy and world affairs often shackled by infantile greed and egotism, truly mature people who bring their deep comprehension of interpersonal grace and cooperation to dramatic/comedic productions are truly precious. >>>>alicia witt plays her lead in the same vein and, in my opinion, this is one of the best movies displaying 'meaningful light comedy'. jack lemmon, steve martin, barbara streisand and barbara eden come to mind as similarly skilled. to get nearer an answer to 'the meaning of life', the gentle comedies with charm and perspective may allow insights and focus with resultant wisdom. who does the heavy-lifting and counteracts the tendency to withdraw from creative participation if not these types of actors who key off the subconscious when addressing the mundane? kudos!

My wife and I found this movie because it turns out a neighbor wrote it. We bought it and loved it. We think it is funny and entertaining. This is one of the few movies that as soon as it was over, I wanted to watch it again.
Some of the reviews say that this is not how people in their 20s act. I'm sure some wouldn't; they might be a little more level-headed and serious. Then it wouldn't be a comedy.
It is a movie about a talented young woman getting through a difficult time in her life and how she handles it. She gets advice from many (good and bad). She meets new people (good and bad). And in the end, she learns to rely on herself for strength and not let the outside struggles define her.
No one was so outrageous or stereotypical that we could not believe their actions or reactions. We really enjoyed her family tremendously. I wish that Marlo Thomas and Elliot Gould could have been my parents. I might not have grown up any better adjusted, but it might have been funnier. They felt so real to us. And the wedding rehearsal dinner at her parents' house is priceless.
If they make a sequel, we will be right there with her, hoping that the smile behind Mona Lisa is genuine.
By the way, Alicia Witt does her own piano work in here. She is amazing.

I bought this film because it had Brooke Langton in it. I'm a Brooke Langton Fan!.

My girlfriend rented ths movie. We both had never seen it, ut when I found out Alicia Witt was in it I said sure Rent It. Well the movie actually isnt to bad. It is pretty amusing and Alicia Witt has such a presence it can cause multiple viewings. anway the DVD isnt that great but the movie is Good!