Julia & Julia

Mona Lisa Smile (2003)   

It's 1953 and recently graduated teacher, Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) is hired to teach Art History at the prestigious, all-girl, Wellesley College. When confronted by the conservative traditions and outdated values that they instil into the girls, she attempts to inspire her class to challenge these values and to define their own lives and destinies.

There are several parts to the plot of "Mona Lisa Smile", with the main theme being about Katherine Watson challenging the traditional thinking of the college. Another very important part of the movie, is that when they enter the real world and lose the rose tinted spectacles about how good their life will be, they have to deal with problems and disappointments. This in a way turns the story into a coming of age movie, but is told in a completely different way to the traditional ones, such as "Stand By Me". There are also several different love stories, which all have different twists and endings. All these themes, bind together to make "Mona Lisa Smile" quite a compelling movie, which leaves you feeling inspired.

The main star of "Mona Lisa Smile" is Julia Roberts, who pulls out one of her best performances as the teacher, Katherine Watson. You start to sympathise with her character as she battles against the strict rules and conservative standards of the institution along with her romantic rollercoaster ride. Although Miss Roberts may be the star, "Mona Lisa Smile" would be nothing without the supporting cast which includes; Kirsten Dunst, Dominic West, Julia Stiles and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Special Mention goes to Kirsten Dunst who plays Betty Warren, a pupil and staunch supporter of the college's traditions and ideals. She goes about making Miss Watson's life a misery through her attitude and her opinions that she writes in the college newspaper.

Director Mike Newell has done a tremendous job with this movie. He has used all his skill to make the whole movie tell the story, whether it is the characters, or the scenery, or the lighting they all demonstrate the emotions and feelings that he is trying to get across in each scene. For example, the bar where Miss Watson likes to go and drink, it is darker, smokier and has customers who would not fit the Wellesley set of ideals.

I must mention the location of this film. The actual Wellesley College was used, and you can honestly see through this grand building and historic rooms, such as the library, that this place is steeped in years of tradition. I honestly believe that this location is the unsung star of the film as it is so pivotal in making this film so believable.

Finally, the soundtrack to the film. As this is set in the early 50's, there are numerous scenes which uses contemporary music of the period. Personally, the best part of the sound track is the orchestral and choir pieces which bring emotion and elation just at the right moment.

When I got "Mona Lisa Smile", it was purely due to Miss Roberts and Miss Stiles, 2 of my favourite actresses, and when I read the synopsis I thought huge mistake. To my surprise, that when I started to watch the film, I found myself captivated not just by my favourite actresses but by the story, cinematography, location and the rest of the cast. I really didn't believe that this film would have such an inspiring story.