Mona Lisa Smile

Cast: Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Marcia Gay Harden
Director: Mike Newell
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Classification: PG

Tagline: In a world that told them how to think, she showed them how to live.

There are some movies that are likeable in spite of themselves. You know the kind, they don't set the world on fire, they may not be the best artistic creations they can be, and they make a few wrong turns. But all the same, you find yourself warming to them. Films are meant to be enjoyable, and there are some we like despite their failures, or maybe even because OF them. The new Julia Roberts vehicle, "Mona Lisa Smile" is one of those movies.

It's 1953, and we're in the hallowed halls of Wellesley College, one of the most prestigious American schools for women. Into this bastion of tradition comes Roberts' Katherine Watson, an art teacher with a difference. Katherine is both a woman of her time, and before her time; she treasures modern art, is more interested in how a student feels rather than what a student knows, and thinks she's there to help young women on their way to independence and success. But she's in an alien environment. Passionately believing that she can change the system, Katherine fights to challenge the girls to think about the future, and make their own way in life. Naturally this puts her in direct opposition to the school authorities, as well as parents of some of her students.

Teaching movies are always rather iffy propositions. From "Goodbye Mr. Chips" to "Mr Holland's Opus", "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" to "Music of the Heart", films set in the classroom tend to be sentimental affairs. Even last year's "School of Rock" found it had to develop a heart. But they also can be rather inspirational to some. Plenty of people were moved to tears in "Dead Poets Society". And "Mona Lisa Smile" will have lots of fans. But it is cloying, predictable and manipulative.

In terms of capturing the spirit of repressed 50s America, it's all over the shop. Unlike last year's "Far from Heaven" which painstakingly recreated not only the look of that era, but also the style of film making, "Mona Lisa Smile" at time resembles a contemporary themed film. Everything from the characters dialogue to Julia Roberts' hair is jarring and makes us wonder just when this story is supposed to be taking place.

So is "Mona Lisa Smile" a flawed film? It certainly is. Is it a frustrating movie? Yes, I'm afraid it is. But is it an enjoyable movie? Yes, because deep down it's a story about people realising their full potential, and its love for its characters and its message comes through in the end.

Memorable Quotes from Mona Lisa Smile

Kirsten Dunst (Betty): Don't disregard our traditions just because you're subversive.
Julia Roberts (Katherine): Don't disrespect this class just because you're married.
Kirsten: Don't disrespect me just because you aren't.
Julia: Come to class - do the work, or I will fail you.
Kirsten: If you fail me, there will be consequences.
Julia: Are you threatening me?
Kirsten: No, I'm educating you.
Julia: I thought that was my job.

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