Mona Lisa (1986)
Average Rating: 8/10
Reviews Counted: 27
Fresh: 26 | Rotten: 1
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 8.1/10
Critic Reviews: 6
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 1
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.7/5
User Ratings: 5,315
My Rating
Movie Info
Bob Hoskins plays George, a tough but basically goodhearted British mob flunky, recently released from prison, where he'd served a term to cover up for his gangster boss (Michael Caine). Still willing to be everyone's doormat, George agrees to act as chauffeur for Simone (Cathy Tyson), a haughty, high-priced call girl. They don't like each other at first, but George begins to fall for her and take a protective interest. She implores him to help her find her only truly friend, a prostitute named
Jun 13, 1986 Wide
Mar 13, 2001
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Bob Hoskins
George -
Cathy Tyson
Simone -
Michael Caine
Mortwell -
Robbie Coltrane
Thomas -
Kate Hardie
Cathy -
Clarke Peters
Anderson -
Sammi Davis
May -
Zoë Nathenson
Jeannie -
Rod Bedall
Terry -
Joe Brown
Dudley -
Pauline Melville
Dawn -
Dawn Archibald
Girl Prostitute in Club -
Kenny Baker
Brighton Busker -
Gary Cady
Waiter -
Robert Dorning
Hotel Punter -
Perry Fenwick
White Pimp -
David Halliwell
Devlin -
Hossein Karimbeik
Raschid -
Helen Martin
Peep Show Girl -
G.B. "Zoot" Money
Carpenter -
Bill Moore
Brighton Busker -
Maggie O'Neill
Girl in Paradise Club -
Stephen Persaud
Black Youth in Street -
Jack Purvis
Brighton Busker -
Raad Raawi
Arab Servant -
Richard Strange
Porn shop Man -
Alan Talbot
Attendant (Baths) -
Mandy Winch
Flower Shop Girl -
Joan Darling
Roberts -
Donna Cannon
Young Prostitute -
Jeremy Hardy
Shop Assistant -
Geoffrey Larder
Hotel Clerk -
Bryan Coleman
Stanley
ADVERTISEMENT
All Critics (27) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (33) | Rotten (1) | DVD (24)
No wonder audiences have taken to this gritty romance as to a mongrel puppy; for at heart Mona Lisa is an old-fashioned poor-soul weepie, and George is less a Cagney rakehell than a Chaplin tramp.
Top CriticSkillfully combines comedy and thriller, romance and sleaze.
A wonderful achievement, a dark film with a generous heart in the shape of an extraordinarily touching performance from Hoskins.
It's like watching the departure of an ocean liner. After all of the initial excitement, you're left on the dock, alone, wondering what all the fuss was about.
The movie's ending is a little too neat for my taste. But in a movie like this, everything depends on atmosphere and character, and Mona Lisa knows exactly what it is doing.
In an era when movies about love almost always invariably devolve into formulaic affairs, Neil Jordan's Mona Lisa stands out as an often-surprising, multi-layered achievement.
The bracing peaks of image, acting, and narrative architecture handily win the day over a scenario that always feels more like a willfully engineered exercise than a fully plausible reality.
The acting of Bob Hoskins in Jordan's disturbing Odd Couple tale is superb.
As a study of social façades as a means of social climbing, and as a character study of Hoskins' would-be angel, Mona Lisa excels... [Blu-ray]
A detailed, thoughtful film that sensitively explores the emotions within its seedy, exploitative milieu.
Sublime acting all round, including a convincingly sinister Michael Caine as the big boss happy to profit from the loss of innocence.
manipulates the commodities of its genre to create something fresh and unique
It's a crime film, and it can be intense and lurid, but it's first and foremost about these characters and Mona Lisa takes its time and gets to know them.
Beautifully quirky, taboo, and British.
The real drama ... stems from each character's frustrated attempt to transcend his or her lousy lot in life.
it's hard not to think of Mona Lisa as a red-light version of Driving Miss Daisy.
Hoskin's is engrossing in one of Neil Jordan's best movies.
Audience Reviews for Mona Lisa
Super Reviewer
Super Reviewer
-
- Simone: Being cheap is one thing. Looking cheap is another.That really takes talent..
- George: Some women are whores. Some whores are black. You take what you're given, don't ya?
Discussion Forum
There are no discussion threads for Mona Lisa yet.
Latest News on Mona Lisa
May 15, 2009:
Rourke Signs on for Mona Lisa Remake"Kids" director Larry Clark is putting together a remake of 1986's "Mona Lisa," with Mickey Rourke...
What's Hot On RT
Every Star Trek movie listed
Star Trek is Certified Fresh
Forest Whitaker serves the White House
Trailer for Tom Hanks thriller
Featured on RT
- Weekly Ketchup: Will Smith to Star in Wild Bunch Remake? 32
- Critics Consensus: Star Trek Into Darkness is Certified Fresh 86
- Red Carpet Roundup: Star Trek Into Darkness Edition 0
- Video Interviews with Katie Aselton & Lake Bell of Black Rock 2
- VIP Access: Eli Roth talks Aftershock 1
- Total Recall: Star Trek Movies 91
- Parental Guidance: Star Trek Into Darkness 18
Top Headlines
-
J.J. Abrams Talks Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Wars, and More
0
-
Vin Diesel Says Fast & Furious 7 Will Begin a New Trilogy
7
-
Mickey Rourke Confirmed for Expendables 3
3
-
Brad Bird Still Mulling Incredibles 2
0
-
Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, and Martin Short Join Inherent Vice
0
-
Bruce Willis Makes an Expiration Date
2
-
Drew Pearce Hired for Mission: Impossible 5
0
Fresh Links
Featured
Star Trek Movies Ranked
HitFix offers their own take on the worst-to-best of the Enterprise crew's cinematic adventures.
Top 10 Star Trek Villains
Rolling Stone unveils the Enterprise's most irksome adversaries.
Celebrity Yearkbook Flashback
We'll bet you never realized how many stars were cheerleaders and high school athletes!
50 Most Classic Movie Moms
In celebration of Mother's Day, TimeOut offers up 50 iconic matriarchs from the big screen.
Weirdest Movie Siblings
From Twins to The Royal Tenenbaums, Moviefone explores cinema's oddest siblings.
Promos
Follow RT on Twitter!
Spice up your feed with hourly Tomatometer updates!
