Mona Lisa Smile

WARNING: This review is hidden because it reveals the content of the film.
Click here to show this review. I saw this movie at a packed Beaches Cinema on New Year's Day. I found it very absorbing for the first third of its running time, enjoying an opportunity to peer into a different world, that of an elite women's college, circa the '50s. While the performances from all the actresses are very good, the convention Hollywood plot machinery seemed to move in at one pivotal point in the film when Julia gives her 'didactic' slide show of '50s ads. From that point on the film, while still interesting, was not too captivating. There is always a tendency for lazy critics to pigeon-hole a film. I don't agree, despite similarities, that this is a 'Dead Poet's Society' for women. The movie does realistically consider the dilemma a so-called progressive instructor might have with a staid institution. However unlike, Dead Poets, the screenwriter's stopped short of making an clear cut martyrs for the greater good. For the performances, the costumes, art direction and makeup... a seven seems about right. If you enjoy the latter elements, you'll still enjoy this movie. (nb. It appears that they are grooming Julia Roberts to be this decade's Katherine Hepburn. It will be interesting to see if she goes along with this as she approaches middle-age)