MONA LISA SMILE

by Jane Louise Boursaw

Rated PG-13 (for sexual content and thematic issues). 117 Minutes. Directed by Mike Newell. Written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal. 2003.

Set in 1953, this movie tells the story of art history professor Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts), who travels from her native California (leaving her boyfriend behind) to take a job at the prestigious and conservative all-female Wellesley College.

Students there spend a lot of time scouting for future husbands (and learn that marriage is not all it's cracked up to be). But Katherine believes the young women should strive to be tomorrow's leaders, not their wives. Her liberal (and "subversive") thinking gets her into hot water with school administrators.

I really wanted to like this movie, partly because I like Julia Roberts and haven't seen her in any stand-out movies lately (the last I liked were Ocean's Eleven and America's Sweethearts, both in 2001).

But she just doesn't work in this role. For one thing, she looks too much like one of the students. I also had the odd feeling she was preaching to me every time she came on the screen. And although her character is supposed to be bohemian, she doesn't fit into the "red lipstick" era of this film. You could drop this character into My Best Friend's Wedding with no problem.

Still, I enjoyed the costumes, music, and 1950's nuances of this film. Good performances were given by Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Marcia Gay Harden.

SCORE: 2 out of 4 Reels.

Special DVD Features: Elton John's music video, "The Heart of Every Girl"; and Three Featurettes: "Art Forum," "College: Then and Now," and "What Women Wanted: 1953."

JANE'S REEL RATING SYSTEM:

One Reel – Pathetic. Even The Force can’t save it.

Two Reels – Tolerable. Coulda been a contender.

Three Reels – Pleasant. Something to talk about.

Four Reels – Wow!  The stuff dreams are made of.

Read my other reviews here.