Movie Review: Mona Lisa Smile
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All of the actresses look wonderful in their elegant little hats, white gloves, twin-sets, tulle, and pearls. And teacher-student is one of the most reliably appealing relationships to portray in a movie. Add in the ups and downs of five different romantic relationships and the sheer pleasure of seeing some of the most talented and engaging young stars in Hollywood and there is plenty that is fun to watch. But there is no real insight or spirit in the movie and its dumbed-down portrayal of the post-WWII, pre-Betty Friedan era is particularly disappointing, limited to images of conformity like girls rowing crew and practicing synchronized swimming and a poster explaining the ladylike way to cross one's legs and references to the wish to return to the "normal" days before the war. It is just too easy to have Katherine's colleague and landlady say "Don't you love chintz?" and turn down a chance to go out in the evening so she can stay home and watch television.
Katherine's character is inconsistent to the point of being erratic, especially with regard to her own romantic involvement. Roberts is reduced to relying on movie star tricks like her "game girl" laugh and moist gaze to fill the gaps.
Juliet Stevenson brings warmth and depth to a regrettably brief appearance as a gay school nurse.
Parents should know that the movie has very explicit sexual references for a PG-13 movie, including promiscuous characters, adultery, and discussion of birth control (which was illegal in the era portrayed in the movie). Characters drink, some get tipsy, and some abuse alcohol. Just about everyone smokes. Characters use strong language including an ugly anti-Semitic epithet. Strengths of the movie include its efforts to address the issues that would be raised by the feminists of the 1960's and its positive portrayal of a gay character who is accepted without prejudice (though dismissed from her position for other reasons).
Families who see this movie could talk about why each of the characters makes the choices that she does.
Families who enjoy this film may also enjoy other magnetic teachers who inspire students and get in trouble with administrators in Dead Poet's Society and The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. The classic if overwrought The Group is based on the experiences of author Mary McCarthy and her friends at Vassar and after graduation. Another in this genre is the Wendy Wasserstein play Uncommon Women...and Others, about a group of students at a Wellesley-style college in the late 1960's.
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