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04/01/06
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Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
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Reviews Counted:146
Fresh:51
Rotten:95
Average Rating:4.9/10
Consensus: Though Mona Lisa Smile espouses the value of breaking barriers, the movie itself is predictable and safe.
Theatrical Release:Dec 19, 2003 Wide
Box Office: $63,695,760
Synopsis: Mike Newell's MONA LISA SMILE is a pretty period film that combines a quaint pedagogical tale with a feminist dissection of traditional female roles in 1950s society. Julia Roberts leads an... [More]
Starring: Julia Roberts, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles
Director: Mike Newell
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Reviews for Mona Lisa Smile
I must say that I enjoyed Mona Lisa Smile enormously, in large part because of the sheer virtuosity of the largely female cast.
12/18/03
Top CriticClick to read the article
01/16/04
[A] sharply observed movie.
12/18/03
Top CriticConsidered less as a piece of entertainment and more as an argument constructed to further a feminist agenda, the film is hugely impressive.
01/15/04
Isn't a subtle movie, but it does allow for surprising shades of meaning: The teacher is not always right, for instance, and sometimes it's her students who teach her.
12/19/03
Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles and Maggie Gyllenhaal furnish well-observed performances that frequently outshine Julia Roberts's reflex characterization in this female variant of "Dead Poets Society."
05/12/09
Roberts shows a new maturity in the role of a mentor to a flock of younger women.
12/18/03
There are a few reasons to enjoy the film, namely its likable cast, its noble aim -- of dramatizing one of the many small steps that led to the overhaul of women's higher education -- and its unexpected ability to surprise you.
12/19/03
The performances here are winning, with [Julia] Roberts not afraid to share the screen with several younger actresses who are among the best and brightest in Hollywood today.
12/31/03
Julia Roberts has no Mona Lisa smile -- enigmatic coyness isn't in her range -- but her big, horsey grin flashes its horse sense and beaming charm through much of Mona Lisa Smile, and viewers can smile in return.
12/19/03
Merits A's for casting, writing, directing and fresh subject matter.
12/06/03
Despite some missteps along the way, it turns out to be curiously brave underneath its conventional trappings.
12/18/03
Top CriticA Dead Poets Society for girls, substituting Roberts' luminosity for Robin Williams' mania.
12/19/03
Top CriticPays tribute to a bohemian teacher who tests her idealism in the conservative milieu of Wellesley College in the Fifties.
12/11/03
if it doesn't have any profound insights to share, at least director Mike Newell's film doesn't traffic in suffocating sentimentality or 'those were the days' daydreaminess.
12/18/03
When was the last time you saw a mainstream movie with big, flashy stars that featured a fairly sophisticated discussion of the nature of art?
12/19/03
Its tidy conclusion belies the fact that the film doesn't know what it wants to be - serious drama, thorny romance, or a searing commentary on the changing times.
12/14/03
What saves the film from its own condescension is director Mike Newell's deft touch and the fine performances of the students -- Julia Stiles, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ginnifer Goodwin -- all of whom easily act rings around Roberts.
12/22/03
A decent watch and somewhat inspiring, especially if you're a girl or woman still trying to 'find yourself.'
12/15/03
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