Mona Lisa Smile Review
by Shannon Patrick Sullivan (shannon AT morgan DOT ucs DOT mun DOT ca)January 5th, 2004
MONA LISA SMILE (2003) / ** 1/2
Directed by Mike Newell. Screenplay by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal. Starring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles. Running time: 117 minutes. Rated PG by the MFCB. Reviewed on December 31st, 2003.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: California bohemian Katherine Watson (Roberts) is hired at old-fashioned, all-girl Wellesley College. The students -- including ambitious Joan (Stiles), Betty, who is soon to be married, and Giselle (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who is rumoured to be having an affair with the Italian professor -- are essentially being educated while they wait to become dutiful wives. But Watson believes that the girls should have the opportunity to carve whatever destiny they wish for themselves, bringing her into conflict with Wellesley's more right-wing elements and putting her academic future at risk.
Review: To a certain extent, "Mona Lisa Smile" reminds me of Robin Williams' "Dead Poets Society". Both concern progressive-thinking teachers at ultra-conservative schools, rely greatly on the charisma of their respective lead actors, and follow fairly obvious story arcs to their inevitable conclusions. But whereas the Williams flick got bogged down in angst-ridden melodrama, "Smile" is more level-headed and less contrived. Where "Society" was almost like a recruitment piece for the left-wing movement, "Smile" is closer to a reasonable depiction of the struggles of youth in the middle of the twentieth century. For example, Konner and Rosenthal realise that the bohemian ideals espoused by Watson are not absolutes: one of the storylines sagely acknowledges that there's nothing wrong with opting to become a housewife, as long as this is genuinely what the woman in question wants. Another advantage of "Smile" is its superior supporting cast. Dunst has a nice turn as a frosty daughter of the upper class, while Gyllenhaal is very good as sultry Giselle. Also charming are Ginnifer Goodwin and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as a would-be couple, though their subplot seems perpetually at a tangent to the main action. Less successful are Watson's romantic entanglements, which come across as artificial adjuncts to the movie's themes of women forging their own futures.
Copyright © 2003 Shannon Patrick Sullivan.
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