Mona Lisa Smile (2003)

Directed by: Mike Newell | 117 minutes | drama, comedy, romance | Actors: Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ginnifer Goodwin, Dominic West, Juliet Stevenson, John Slattery, Marcia Gay Harden

‘Mona Lisa Smile’ is very apt for Julia Roberts’ famous big smile, but of course that’s not the only explanation for the title of this film. It refers to the smile of Da Vinci’s famous model, which has captured the imagination for years. What is she laughing about? Is it a real smile? Is she happy? The students of the women’s university Wellesley College are also finding out that not everything is always as it seems.

You may know director Mike Newell from ‘Four Weddings and a Funeral’ (1994) starring Hugh Grant and ‘Donnie Brasco’ (1997) starring Al Pacino. Julia Roberts stars in ‘Mona Lisa Smile’ as feminist art history professor Katherine Watson. Still, it’s almost a shame that they chose a well-known actress for the role of Watson, because the younger actresses are a bit overshadowed by Roberts. And that while the young talents are absolutely not inferior to her. Kirsten Dunst does a great job as the grumpy Betty Warren. The twenty-one-year-old child star already has several major films to her name. Many a female viewer was jealous of her when she was kissed as a twelve-year-old by none other than Brad Pitt in ‘Interview with the Vampire’. She was also seen as Spider-Man’s girlfriend. Julia Stiles plays the insecure Joan Brandwyn. Stiles starred in a number of remakes of Shakespeare’s pieces, such as “10 Things I Hate about You” (The Taming of the Shrew) and “O,” a modern version of Othello. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dunst’s boyfriend Jake’s sister, plays a convincing, sexy Giselle Levy.

Not all the storylines and characters in ‘Mona Lisa Smile’ are developed equally deeply. Yet the story captivates every minute. Partly because of the clothing, music, dance and of course the way of thinking you imagine yourself in the fifties. It’s a shame that the plot is very American and therefore just as predictable as the average romantic comedy.