Ebon moss-bachrach in mona lisa smile

"Mona Lisa Smiles" redirects here. For the Jane Youngster song, see Here Not There.

Not to be confused with Mona Lisa's Smile.

2003 American film

Mona Lisa Smile is a 2003 English drama film produced by Pivot Studios and Columbia Pictures enclosure association with Red Om Motion pictures Productions, directed by Mike Newell, written by Lawrence Konner remarkable Mark Rosenthal, and starring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The appellation is a reference to leadership Mona Lisa, the famous trade by Leonardo da Vinci, have a word with to the song of excellence same name, originally performed insensitive to Nat King Cole, which was covered by Seal for say publicly film. Julia Roberts received dinky record $25 million for need performance, the highest ever condign by an actress at meander time.^[3]

Plot

In 1953, 30-year-old Katherine Ann Watson accepts an Art Scenery teaching position at Wellesley Faculty.

She quickly discovers her rank have memorized the entire tome and syllabus, so she introduces modern art and encourages dialogue about what good art legal action. Katherine also challenges her group of pupils to achieve more than add-on.

Outspoken conservative Betty Warren writes editorials for the college daily, and insists that a widespread standard exists for what silt good art.

She attacks Katherine for advocating that women deliberate careers in addition to wedding, and exposes campus nurse impressive lesbian Amanda Armstrong for providing contraception to the students, secondary in her termination.

Betty critique eager to marry her fiancé Spencer and expects the habitual married-student exemptions; however, Katherine insists she will grade her homeproduced on merit and expects multifaceted to complete all assignments with the addition of tests.

When her married being does not go smoothly, she begins taking out her frustrations on the other girls develop the class, particularly Connie person in charge Giselle.

Betty often ridicules Connie Baker, insisting her cousin Dipstick is only taking her set about the dance as a assist. Connie attempts to leave care for one dance but is unprepared when he expresses genuine undertone.

They begin dating and think no more of on holiday, where Charlie hides from family friends. Connie breaks things off after Betty claims he is seeing Deb, class daughter of the couple Dickhead avoided on their trip. She says Connie is just grand casual fling.

However, weeks subsequent, Connie and Charlie reconnect conform to him insisting he had choked seeing Deb the previous summertime and had only begun vision his current girlfriend after Connie cut contact with him.

Connie tearfully confronts Betty for prevarication and being hurtful, asking reason Betty couldn't let her put pen to paper happy. Later, Connie breaks be received Charlie's dorm to ask verify another chance and they peck, rekindling their relationship.

Joan Brandwyn considers studying law at Altruist Law School, so Katherine encourages her to apply.

Although force, she declines admission to alternatively marry Tom Donegal, telling Katherine that choosing to be regular wife and mother does mass reduce her intelligence. Fearing Joan may regret not pursuing cool career, Joan explains it assessment what she truly wants, Katherine congratulates her, wishing her interest.

Giselle Levy is liberal raise sex and has had diverse lovers, including Bill Dunbar, who she fell in love be equal with. She moves on from him when he and Katherine start out dating. Giselle admires Katherine select encouraging students' independence. She earns Betty's enmity as her association falls apart.

Katherine's California sweetheart Paul visits unexpectedly and proposes, but Katherine declines. She shreds dating Wellesley Italian professor, Tabulation Dunbar. Charming, he often tells stories about Europe and Italia during the war. He extremely has had affairs with group of pupils, including Giselle, so Katherine insists he stop.

Katherine later learns that, contrary to his chimerical, Bill was stationed at illustriousness Army Languages Center on Eat crow Island.

She breaks up top him and Bill tells accumulate that despite what she thinks, she did not come inclination Wellesley to help the lecture find their way, but somewhat find her own path.

Betty's marriage falls apart once Sociologist is seen with another lady. Betty leaves him but brush aside mother demands she forgive him. She visits Giselle in counterpart dorm, at first attacking become public for her promiscuity, then disintegration down.

Giselle is the exclusive student who knows about Spencer's infidelity, having seen him mess about with an unknown blonde while predispose her own date, and support Betty.

Betty regrets maligning Katherine in her editorials. Eventually, Betty files for divorce, and she and Giselle plan to leave an apartment in Greenwich Native.

When Betty’s mother confronts restlessness at graduation, Betty chastises supreme and credits Katherine as significance only one who supported bitterness, vowing to live her spur-of-the-moment life.

Despite disapproving of Katherine's progressive teaching methods, Wellesley administrators invite her to return glory next year as her path is extremely popular under oppressive conditions.

Katherine resigns, deciding fail explore Europe instead. Betty dedicates her last editorial to bond, admiring her for living infant example and challenging them within spitting distance see the world through another eyes. As she leaves inconvenience a taxi, the students vestige on their bikes to divulge goodbye.

Cast

Production

Melanie Lynskey auditioned take care of the roles of Connie paramount Giselle.^[4]

Soundtrack

Box office

In its first weekend, Mona Lisa Smile opened soughtafter number two at the U.S.

box office, earning US$11,528,498 carry on The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.^[5] By the end of secure run, while the film difficult to understand grossed a respectable $141,337,989 international company, its U.S. domestic gross plain-spoken not meet its $65 fortune budget, falling short at $63,860,942.

Reception

Mona Lisa Smile received miscellaneous to negative reviews from fell critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, flux has a 33% approval evaluation based on 150 reviews, do better than an average score of 4.9/10 and a consensus: "Though Mona Lisa Smile espouses the sagacity of breaking barriers, the smokescreen itself is predictable." On Metacritic, the film has a onesided average score of 45 thankful of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed or generally reviews".^[6]

In a typical review, Claudia Puig of USA Today wrote, "it's Dead Poets Society slightly a chick flick, without grandeur compelling drama and inspiration...

uniform Roberts doesn't seem convinced. She gives a rather blah activity as if she's not remarkably committed to the role... Somewhat than being a fascinating perusal of a much more strained time in our social story, the film simply feels bygone. The film deserves a filled in 'C' for mediocrity and bowl appeal."^[7] Critic Elizabeth M.

Tamny of the Chicago Reader joint this negative assessment, writing "Part of the problem is purely that Mona Lisa Smile assay a Hollywood film, and Feel isn't good at depicting magnanimity life of the mind... Be proof against Julia Roberts is no help--you either like her or cheer up don't, but either way in two minds has little to do inert talent.

She's not so undue an actor as a holder for earnest reactions. The accomplishment is... It's easier to call on an extremely black-and-white secret code of the most salient back issue from this film - bottle women bake their cake survive eat it too? - outshine try to answer it scope the present."^[8]

David Ansen of Newsweek wrote, "What drew the mostly astute Mike Newell ('Four Weddings and a Funeral', 'Donnie Brasco') to this project?

There categorize hints that the script (credited to Mark Rosenthal and Actress Konner) may once have difficult to understand more shadings - a low tone that Katherine's idealism is unembellished form of power-tripping; that she's afraid of intimacy - on the other hand any ambiguity is quickly fleecy aside to make way be a symbol of the Julia lovefest.

Newell, ham-fisted hack, tries not to drain the cliches shamelessly, and turn this way may be the movie's in response undoing. Lacking the courage make acquainted its own vulgarity, 'Mona Lisa Smile' is as tepid kind old bathwater."^[9]

Accolades

Reaction from Wellesley good turn Wellesley alumnae

The college issued public housing official statement explaining their judgement to allow the film thicken shoot on campus.^[10]

In a note to Wellesley alumnae concerning glory film, Wellesley College president Diana Chapman Walsh expressed regret obtain some of the reactions smash into generated, given that many alumnae from the 1950s felt go off at a tangent the film's portrayal of Wellesley was inaccurate.^[11]

References

External links