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Mona Lisa Smile

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"Mona Lisa Smiles" redirects here. For the Jane Child song, see Here Not There.
Not to be confused with Mona Lisa's Smile.
Mona Lisa Smile
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMike Newell
Written by
Produced byElaine Goldsmith-Thomas
Deborah Schindler
Paul Schiff
Starring
CinematographyAnastas Michos
Edited byMick Audsley
Music byRachel Portman
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release date
  • December 19, 2003 (2003-12-19)
Running time
119 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Italian
Budget$72.3 million[1]
Box office$141.3 million[2]

Mona Lisa Smile is a 2003 American drama film produced by Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures in association with Red Om Films Productions, directed by Mike Newell, written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, and starring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The title is a reference to the Mona Lisa, the famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, and to the song of the same name, originally performed by Nat King Cole, which was covered by Seal for the film. Julia Roberts received a record $25 million for her performance, the highest ever earned by an actress at that time.[3]

Plot

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In 1953, 30-year-old Katherine Ann Watson accepts an Art History teaching position at Wellesley College. She quickly discovers her students have memorized the entire textbook and syllabus, so she introduces modern art and encourages discussion about what good art is. Katherine also challenges her students to achieve more than marriage.

Outspoken conservative Betty Warren writes editorials for the college paper, and insists that a universal standard exists for what is good art. She attacks Katherine for advocating that women seek careers in addition to marriage, and exposes campus nurse and lesbian Amanda Armstrong for supplying contraception to the students, resulting in her termination.

Betty is eager to marry her fiancé Spencer and expects the traditional married-student exemptions; however, Katherine insists she will grade her based on merit and expects her to complete all assignments and tests. When her married life does not go smoothly, she begins taking out her frustrations on the other girls in the class, particularly Connie and Giselle.

Betty often ridicules Connie Baker, insisting her cousin Charlie is only taking her to the dance as a favor. Connie attempts to leave after one dance but is surprised when he expresses genuine interest. They begin dating and go on holiday, where Charlie hides from family friends. Connie breaks things off after Betty claims he is seeing Deb, the daughter of the couple Charlie avoided on their trip. She says Connie is just a casual fling.

However, weeks later, Connie and Charlie reconnect with him insisting he had stopped seeing Deb the previous summer and had only begun seeing his current girlfriend after Connie cut contact with him. Connie tearfully confronts Betty for lying and being hurtful, asking why Betty couldn't let her be happy. Later, Connie breaks into Charlie's dorm to ask for another chance and they kiss, rekindling their relationship.

Joan Brandwyn considers studying law at Yale Law School, so Katherine encourages her to apply. Although accepted, she declines admission to instead marry Tom Donegal, telling Katherine that choosing to be a wife and mother does not reduce her intelligence. Fearing Joan may regret not pursuing a career, Joan explains it is what she truly wants, Katherine congratulates her, wishing her happiness.

Giselle Levy is liberal about sex and has had several lovers, including Bill Dunbar, who she fell in love with. She moves on from him when he and Katherine begin dating. Giselle admires Katherine for encouraging students' independence. She earns Betty's enmity as her marriage falls apart.

Katherine's California boyfriend Paul visits unexpectedly and proposes, but Katherine declines. She starts dating Wellesley Italian professor, Bill Dunbar. Charming, he often tells stories about Europe and Italy during the war. He also has had affairs with students, including Giselle, so Katherine insists he stop.

Katherine later learns that, contrary to his stories, Bill was stationed at the Army Languages Center on Long Island. She breaks up with him and Bill tells her that despite what she thinks, she did not come to Wellesley to help the students find their way, but rather find her own path.

Betty's marriage falls apart once Spencer is seen with another woman. Betty leaves him but her mother demands she forgive him. She visits Giselle in her dorm, at first attacking her for her promiscuity, then breaking down. Giselle is the only student who knows about Spencer's infidelity, having seen him with an unknown blonde while on her own date, and comforts Betty.

Betty regrets maligning Katherine in her editorials. Eventually, Betty files for divorce, and she and Giselle plan to find an apartment in Greenwich Village. When Betty’s mother confronts her at graduation, Betty chastises her and credits Katherine as the only one who supported her, vowing to live her own life.

Despite disapproving of Katherine's progressive teaching methods, Wellesley administrators invite her to return the next year as her course is extremely popular under strict conditions. Katherine resigns, deciding to explore Europe instead. Betty dedicates her last editorial to her, admiring her for living by example and challenging them to see the world through new eyes. As she leaves in a taxi, the students follow on their bikes to say goodbye.

Cast

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Production

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Melanie Lynskey auditioned for the roles of Connie and Giselle.[4]

Soundtrack

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Mona Lisa Smile: Music from the Motion Picture
Soundtrack album by
Various
ReleasedDecember 19, 2003
GenreJazz • easy listening • big band
Length48:27
LabelSony Music
No.TitlePerformerLength
1."Mona Lisa"Seal3:11
2."You Belong to Me"Tori Amos3:03
3."Bewitched"Celine Dion2:45
4."The Heart of Every Girl"Elton John3:40
5."Santa Baby"Macy Gray3:29
6."Murder, He Says"Tori Amos3:22
7."Besame Mucho"Chris Isaak2:46
8."Secret Love"Mandy Moore3:40
9."What'll I Do"Alison Krauss3:12
10."Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"The Trevor Horn Orchestra2:26
11."Sh-Boom (Life Could Be a Dream)"The Trevor Horn Orchestra2:49
12."I'm Beginning to See the Light"Kelly Rowland1:47
13."I've Got the World on a String"Lisa Stansfield2:20
14."Smile"Barbra Streisand4:17
15."Suite"Rachel Portman5:33
Total length:48:27

Box office

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In its first weekend, Mona Lisa Smile opened at number two at the U.S. box office, earning US$11,528,498 behind The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.[5] By the end of its run, while the film had grossed a respectable $141,337,989 worldwide, its U.S. domestic gross did not meet its $65 million budget, falling short at $63,860,942.

Reception

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Mona Lisa Smile received mixed to negative reviews from film critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a 33% approval rating based on 150 reviews, with an average score of 4.9/10 and a consensus: "Though Mona Lisa Smile espouses the value of breaking barriers, the movie itself is predictable." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 40 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6]

In a typical review, Claudia Puig of USA Today wrote, "it's Dead Poets Society as a chick flick, without the compelling drama and inspiration... even Roberts doesn't seem convinced. She gives a rather blah performance as if she's not fully committed to the role... Rather than being a fascinating exploration of a much more constrained time in our social history, the film simply feels anachronistic. The film deserves a solid 'C' for mediocrity and muted appeal."[7] Critic Elizabeth M. Tamny of the Chicago Reader shared this negative assessment, writing "Part of the problem is simply that Mona Lisa Smile is a Hollywood film, and Hollywood isn't good at depicting the life of the mind... And Julia Roberts is no help--you either like her or you don't, but either way it has little to do with talent. She's not so much an actor as a vessel for earnest reactions. The fact is... It's easier to take on an extremely black-and-white version of the most salient question from this film - can women bake their cake and eat it too? - than try to answer it in the present."[8]

David Ansen of Newsweek wrote, "What drew the usually astute Mike Newell ('Four Weddings and a Funeral', 'Donnie Brasco') to this project? There are hints that the script (credited to Mark Rosenthal and Lawrence Konner) may once have had more shadings - a suggestion that Katherine's idealism is a form of power-tripping; that she's afraid of intimacy - but any ambiguity is quickly brushed aside to make way for the Julia lovefest. Newell, no hack, tries not to milk the cliches shamelessly, and that may be the movie's final undoing. Lacking the courage of its own vulgarity, 'Mona Lisa Smile' is as tepid as old bathwater."[9]

Accolades

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Association Category Recipient Results
Critics Choice Movie Award Best Song Elton John
Bernie Taupin 		Nominated
Golden Globe Award Best Original Song Nominated
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award Best Use of Previously Published or Recorded Music — Nominated
Satellite Award Best Original Song Elton John Nominated
Teen Choice Award Choice Movie Actress - Drama/Action-Adventure Julia Stiles Nominated
Choice Movie - Sleazbag Kirsten Dunst Nominated

Reaction from Wellesley and Wellesley alumnae

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The college issued an official statement explaining their decision to allow the film to shoot on campus.[10]

In a message to Wellesley alumnae concerning the film, Wellesley College president Diana Chapman Walsh expressed regret about some of the reactions it generated, given that many alumnae from the 1950s felt that the film's portrayal of Wellesley was inaccurate.[11]

References

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  1. ^ Lang, Brent (September 1, 2011). "'Inside the Revolution Library: Where Joe Roth Went Wrong". TheWrap.com. Retrieved July 10, 2017.
  2. ^ Mona Lisa Smile at Box Office Mojo
  3. ^ Goldman, Lea; Blakeley, Kiri (January 17, 2007). "The 20 Richest Women In Entertainment". Forbes. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
  4. ^ "The failed audition that changed Melanie Lynskey's life". The Independent. 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  5. ^ "Weekend Box Office December 19–21, 2003". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  6. ^ "Mona Lisa Smile Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
  7. ^ Puig, Claudia (December 19, 2003). "Crooked 'Smile'". USA Today.
  8. ^ Tamny, Elizabeth M. (January 15, 2004). "History Versus Her Story". Chicago Reader. Retrieved September 13, 2015.
  9. ^ Ansen, David (2003-12-21). "Wipe Off That Smile". Newsweek. Retrieved 2022-07-19.
  10. ^ "Wellesley College Is Among the Stars of the Film, "Mona Lisa Smile"". Wellesley College. December 3, 2003. Retrieved September 13, 2016.
  11. ^ Walsh, Diana Chapman (January 9, 2004). "Message from the President to Wellesley College alumnae concerning the film, Mona Lisa Smile". Wellesley College. Archived from the original on August 12, 2007. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
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