Mona Lisa Smile

Starring:Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ginnifer Goodwin, Dominic West, Juliet Stevenson, Marcia Gay Harden, John Slattery, Marian Seldes, Donna Mitchell, Terence Rigby, Jennie Eisenhower, Leslie Lyles, Laura Allen (II), Topher Grace, Lily Lodge, Jordan Bridges, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Christopher Braden Jones
Director: Mike Newell
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Julia Roberts's command of the screen is so effortless, it's easy for moviegoers to take her for granted--but we shouldn't. Mona Lisa Smile--about a noncomformist teacher at a private school who encourages students to pursue their individuality--is pretty much an all-girls version of Dead Poets Society that mixes '50s fashions with '70s feminist thought. However, its lack of ambition doesn't diminish the talent that's gone into it: The writing and directing are well-honed and skillful; the actors--a talent-studded cast featuring Marcia Gay Harden, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Julia Stiles, and Juliet Stevenson--are uniformly excellent. But without question, Mona Lisa Smile rides on Roberts's shoulders and she carries it with ease. She's possibly the only contemporary actor who simply owns a movie the way Bette Davis, Jean Arthur, or Claudette Colbert once did, radiating a engaging mix of intelligence, drive, and emotional warmth that cannot be matched. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

A Favorite of Mine.......2007-06-23

I loved this movie!! This is not a "chick flick". It is so hard to imagine that things were so restrictive for women just 50 years ago, and it seems that we need to be reminded as we take all that is open and available to us and the many opportunities we have in stride. It's unbelievable how things have changed - I am going to have my teenage daughter watch this movie, she will be astounded!

The movie is also beautifully filmed (much of it in Massachusetts on the gorgeous Wellesley College campus). I highly recommend this movie.

Terriffic!.......2007-06-07

Inspirational for women of today. One does not have to choose between being a wife/mother/home-maker or a career woman. We can do it all!

Mona Lisa Smile.......2007-05-21

"Mona Lisa Smile" is a romantic-comedy that is more likely to appeal to women than men, but is nevertheless charming, funny, and entertaining. The movie doesn't have the same rom-com mood that movies like "Failure to Launch" and "Must Love Dogs" share, but instead shares a closer bond with films like "The Cider House Rules" sans the depressing aspect. The movie is essentially a star vehicle for Julia Roberts, but her female co-stars Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Julia Stiles, and Ginnifer Goodwin all steal the show from her.

Roberts plays Katherine Watson, a teacher from California who lands a job at the prestigious Wellesley school. The film takes place in the '50s where women went to school not to go on to get successful jobs but merely to bridge the gap between school and marriage. She's the teacher of art history and upon her arrival meets a number of rebelling and strong-willed young females, including the hateful Betty (Dunst), the free-spirited Giselle (Gyllenhaal), and the optimistic Joan (Stiles)...As Katherine adjusts to her new job and it's strict rules, she finds herself falling for a womanizing Italian teacher (Dominic West) and that's pretty much all the plot you're going to get from this film.

The movie is one of those films that relies heavily on the charm of its actors to keep the film moving and it works. All the actors are fascinating to watch and all the actresses I mentioned above steal the show from Roberts. "Mona Lisa Smile" isn't a fantastic film, but it's definitely worth watching.

GRADE: B+

We have come a very long way.......2007-05-20

Now I know why this movie is so hard to find on the shelves at my local rental. I hope many mothers and daughters are watching.

"Mona Lisa Smile" not only gives you a perspective on life in the early 50's, it tells you about your mothers and your grandmothers. It also makes us aware as women about what is yet to be done.

I won't belabor the plot or the acting. I will say that every woman needs to watch this with her daughter, her niece, or perhaps her best friend.

The Dream... to make a difference..........2007-05-13

In Mona Lisa Smile, Julia Roberts proves, once again, that she is the radiant queen of the screen, for, next to great talent, she definitely commands...

Julia Roberts plays the role of a teacher, Miss Katherine Watson, who dreams to make a difference, to leave a legacy that improves the collective spirit of those fortunate enough to be her students.

From humble beginnings, this art historian from California, goes to teach at Wellesley, during a time when women received an education as a side line to the real purpose, which was to get married and have a family. She is not the school's first choice, but the person that was available and walks into a room full of snobbish students, who are out to get her... because they "smell the fear" of the prey.

At this private school, she begins to plant the seeds necessary for these young women to see themselves for more than just future wives, and to seek deep inside themselves to release the potential... lawyer... doctor... mother and wife... all combined in a package that is doable and possible.

The students, played by the likes of Marcia Gay Harden, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Julia Stiles, and Juliet Stevenson... are superb in their roles. The DVD offers special features where there are interviews that explain the arduous work of these young women to study the period of time, early 50s where the story is set, to act, dress, behave, and think like women starting to pursue their individuality, stepping outside the mold that until then, was the prescribed formula to happiness.

Simply... a movie not to miss... for as Julia Roberts shares the dream... to make a difference... she teaches us all great lessons, for to not conform to that which is expected, carries great consequences at a personal level.

Enjoy... and share this film with family and friends. It is indeed... a jewel!

Average customer rating:

Mona Lisa Smile / Steel Magnolias
Unknown
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0002IQNJ2

Average customer rating:

Mona Lisa Smile / America's Sweethearts
Starring: Julia Roberts , Billy Crystal , Catherine Zeta-Jones , John Cusack , and Hank Azaria
Director: Joe Roth , and Mike Newell
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

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ASIN: B000CCBCBW
Release Date: 2006-01-31

Average customer rating:

A Favorite of Mine
Terriffic!
Mona Lisa Smile
We have come a very long way
The Dream... to make a difference...

Mona Lisa Smile [Region 2]
Starring: Julia Roberts , Kirsten Dunst , Julia Stiles , Maggie Gyllenhaal , and Ginnifer Goodwin
Director: Mike Newell
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

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Notting Hill (Collector's Edition)

ASIN: B00020JQGC

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

A Favorite of Mine.......2007-06-23

Terriffic!.......2007-06-07

Inspirational for women of today. One does not have to choose between being a wife/mother/home-maker or a career woman. We can do it all!

Mona Lisa Smile.......2007-05-21

We have come a very long way.......2007-05-20

The Dream... to make a difference..........2007-05-13

Average customer rating:

Mona Lisa Smile/Steel Magnolias

Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00068CV26
Release Date: 2004-09-28

Average customer rating:

Big disappointment
The Best scenes are with Barbara Eden

Carolina

Manufacturer: TVA Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

It should be wasy for a woman like Carolina(Julia Stiles) to find love. After all, she works for a television dating show called THE PERFECT DATE. Pressure from her nutty grandmother(Shiley MacLaine) certainly doesn't help. Neither does all her worrying over her troubled sisters. With the help of her best friend Albert(Allessandro Nivola) Carolina realizes that instead of trying to escape her life and the people in it, she just needs to take a closer look at what she already has.

Customer Reviews:

Big disappointment.......2007-05-17

I rented this movie because I love chick flicks and have enjoyed some of Julia Stiles' other films (e.g. Save the Last Dance, The Prince and Me, Ten Things I hate About You). Also enjoyed Shirley MacLaine in In Her Shoes. I thought it was unusual that I hadn't heard of this film before. After watching it, I can see why. The script and plotline were TOO cheesey, even for the average chick flick fan. My advice? Get something that better utilizes the skills of these talented actresses. (Even if you are an avid chick flick fan!)

The Best scenes are with Barbara Eden.......2004-07-06

The best scenes of the DVD are with Barbara Eden playing a book author in book store

Average customer rating:

Mona Lisa Smile

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

America's Sweethearts
Don't Say a Word
The Stepford Wives (Special Collector's Edition)
Intolerable Cruelty (Widescreen Edition)
Gothika (Widescreen Edition)

ASIN: B0009MSHDQ

Product Description

Mona Lisa Smile is a funny, inspiring and uplifting film about an art history professor with a lot to teach about life and much to learn about romance.

Average customer rating:

A Favorite of Mine
Terriffic!
Mona Lisa Smile
We have come a very long way
The Dream... to make a difference...

Mona Lisa Smile
Starring: Julia Roberts , Kirsten Dunst , Julia Stiles , Maggie Gyllenhaal , and Ginnifer Goodwin
Director: Mike Newell
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video