Rating: 
Summary: * Excellent * Fantastic* Great* !
Review: This is one of the best movie's I've ever seen.* When was it originally released-?- And where are it's Oscar's!!! It is an excellent movie*- the storyline itself, & the acting... Wow*! I think this is one of Julia Roberts best.* And all the other women in this film are fantastic also. Julia Stiles was great, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, another great job.* All 3 of these women should have gotten Oscar's for their fantastic work, along with the movie itself.* Kristen Dunst & Marcia Gay Harden also made this film something special & I do not want to dismiss their work when I say the other 3 women deserved Oscar's. They all made this film a fantastic piece. It was great to see ALL these talented women working together, & so well.*
The story is well written with basic truths. Take it from a woman who knows. It is NOT just about marriage also, as I've heard some say. They must have not really been listening to it. It's simply about "Women" - their lives- their feelings - their choices. No matter which life style we may choose for ourselves, we're all just human beings first. It's ok to be yourself- explore- be special & unique. A beautiful film all in all! A must see for women & the men that love them! (& for our young ladies also- this is inspiration at it's best!)
This movie makes you think- asks questions- consider everything- & is entertaining while all that is going on. It's a movie to watch again & again!*
Don't just read reviews of this one- create your own*- Watch it for yourself!*
Rating: 
Summary: Women...Women...
Review: This film intrigues me because some say, it talks more on feminism and the mind-opening to understanding women and the inner power they possessed within. Im not really into a feministic side but when I watched my film, I tried to be in neutral position to understand the perspective of this film. Yes, the girls were charming but im not really looking or admiring their looks but how they cope up the issues that women themselves facing because each of them, as the movie goes on and what it tells, each students were facing decisions either professionally or in romance. I really like each girls' attitude especially of Kirsten Dunst, who appeared to be domineering, Julia Styles who's sweet but very professional although weakness came over to her to choose marriage or to be a law student, Maggie Gyllenhall (is my spelling right?) who's liberated, open-minded but her love affairs were not that serious. Of course, Julia Roberts who really gave a different performance as a teacher who is determined to risk everything in order to address and unlock the inner power that each women can have by going 'beyond the imagery of the paintings' giving a realisation of 'mona lisa smile'.When you watch a movie with a delicate or sensitive issues, please don't pre-judge from the very beginning...'Mona Lisa Smile' gave me a different portarit of a woman, and it was an eye-opener to me...that women are full of determination, though weakened by their emotion but the magic in them tries to overcome the pathetic attitude and that is unique among women that men don't have. Women can truly unlock their powers if they are willing enough to be what they are and conquering againsts all odds and streotyping and comparisons between man and woman. Julia Roberts, as a teacher, have done this and was shown in the movie that she wants her students to be more of a reasoning side...just like 'going beyond the painting'...'going beyond the strokes, the colors, the size, the lines, etc..." and that is going to the very essence of their personhood and free themselves to what avoiding them to be what they are. After I watched this movie, I came out from the movie theatre wearing a smile on my face and in deep thought i said to myself..."Women...Women."
Rating:
Summary: What shaped our mother's and grandmother's lives.
Review: Exquisite! Truly a must see for all women age 13 and over, and for the men who love them. A moving, sophisticated, meaningful, and notable look at women and the complexities of women's issues in the 1950's, which are still highly relevant today. The acting is compelling; the script is intelligent; and the cinematography, sets, and costume design are enchanting. See it and gain a new appreciation of your mother or grandmother. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: A touching movie
Review: I don't know how can people say this is not a good movie! The message this movie brings is so powerful. See, I'm from Latin America, and a lot of women in here are still in the 50's. They only live to get married, that's their only goal, their only horizon. I felt so happy to find a movie that strikes people in their heads and tells them there's so much more to life. People don't need a couple to be happy. Happiness comes from within... Awesome movie. You'll fall in love with the characters and a smile will be drawn in your face as you watch it.
Rating:
Summary: great movie
Review: No matter what anyone else said about this movie I really enjoyed it. I completely identified with the characers. There are times when you just wanna laugh,cry, cheer,and completely slap Kirsten Dunst. I fully plan on buying this dvd it's worth buyig but if your still sceptical rent it.
Rating: 
Summary: A smile in a jungle path
Review: When I first saw the trailer of the movie, I was expectiong a female version of The Dead Poets' Soceity, if not, The Emperor's Club. However, after watching it, the movie is not even close to be compared to their male counterparts. I am not saying school movies about females are worse than ones about males. What I am trying to say here is that if the movies are about female students, there are issues to talk about. Technically speaking, the direction and script will be more challenging in order to strike a balance. If this job is handled well, another great movie will be produced; if not, the movie will just become a flop, like Mona Lisa Smile. This movie is too aggressive and the plots centres on too many characters, which confuses the audience on thinking about or even locating the pivot of the movie - the teacher, Katherine Waston (Julia Robets) or her students? The movie was set in the early 1950s, when the Second World War had finished for almost ten years and women were trying to find new roles in a society. The students in a traditional school were molded to be conservatives and traditionalists. Katherine Watson, as a bohemian, appeared and showed them new angles of looking at art and their lives. Her students did the pre-reading of the class and knew very well about the syllabus. Katherine, amazed and stunned by this, introduced contemporary art into the class. With this, she emphasized the destined roles of women should not be marriage anymore. Despite her effort, many of her students still sought refuge in marriage and romance, even herself. Half of the movie talked about her enlightenment on gender stereotypes, but everything seems to be futile and unfruitful when we see one student getting married after another. The movie fails to show the impact of Katherine Waston as a teacher on the students' lives. Even if the impact is a failure (as in The Emperor's Club), it still has to show her ideas fail. In other words, Katherine Waston and her students appear on screen as two separate entities. The movie is a jungle path through which it is trying to find its focus, and so is the audience. The movie wastes the excellent cast - to a certain extent, I think Marcia Gay Harden is a miscast. She is the kind of emotionally rich and overflowing actress who took up Pollock and Mystic River. Her constraits in emotional expressions and manners fail to convince the audience. If the movie is made by a female director, things may be different. Another condition - if I was not a school teacher, I would not have given a pass for the movie.
Rating:
Summary: overall great film
Review: it's really sad & almost pathetic when critics & the movie going audience alike can't seem to give a film like mona lisa a fair shake or a decent review which it's no doubt entitled to. it's as if the cinemas had so many other appealing & classy choices of entertainment to choose from which unfortunately is seldom the case. what's not to like? we have a terrific cast of both well-known female actresses both tried & true such as julia roberts, kirstin dunst, & the blossoming maggie gyllenhaal. should i also add that juliet stevenson & marcia gay harden also delivered terrific performances?? ok, so evidentally everyone here or elsewhere has seen the wonderful dead poets society & perhaps the emperor's club. well, that's wonderful. does that mean that mona lisa has nothing new to bring to the screen & that it should be overlooked? i think not. in fact, these films may have some similiarities it's true but are really nothing alike. as one can probably assume, this film is meant to inspire & encourage those young & influential women in their formative years to stay in school or to fulfill their greatest dreams early in life such as pursuing a career, choosing husbands wisely, & living up to everyone else's expectations. no, not exactly. mike newell's film encourages us to see beyond the colors or images placed in front of our eyes & to challenge the views or traditions that society has passed down from generation to generation as well being true to ourselves. anyone who can't see this needs to seriously consider having their head examined. for those who think this film is too much of a chick flick, then perhaps you still believe that women should still be walking around barefooted & pregnant. all the rest of us should give this wonderful & heartwarming film a chance & i'm sure you'll be pleasantly surpised at how insopiring it truly is. i can only hope & pray that each of us has had the opportunity in our brief lives to have a teacher as exciting or as encouraging as katherine wilson(played by the talented julia roberts). also, look for tori amos singing with a big band near the middle of the film. gotta love it!! i'm owning this one folks on 03/09/04!
Rating:
Summary: Decent plot and script; message was overdone!
Review: This film was okay. Honestly I've tried to come up with a better word, but I think 'okay' conveys it well. I'll divide my review into good and bad, and as you'll see, the two come out pretty even in the end - like i said: okay. As other reviewers note - and I can't emphasize enough - this film is NOT simply a revamped "Dead Poet's Society". Yes, many details are the same: the private school v. the liberationist rebel of a teacher. Beyond that, all comparison is an injustice. This film has a different mood, script and certainly different message. The acting was another good feature: Julia Stiles, Kirsten Dunst (who steals the show as the student antagonist) Julia Roberts and the others (whom I do not know by name, but if the film is any indication, I will someday). This is truly an ensemble cast with no weak spots and each character/actor supporting the others. Now to the bad: unfortunately, for all its differences from 'Dead Poets Society", this film is still quite cliche. Not so much that you don't want to watch, but just enough where, since you know that you know what will happen, there is absolutely no dramatic tension in the film. And it is not only the main plot that is cliche, but the sub-plots (with the exception of a twist in 'Julia Stiles's' story-line) are too easy to guess at. Now for the big flaw - the fatal flaw without which the film would've squeezed four stars out of me. The message of the main story line - the struggle for 'traditional Wellsley women' to liberate from the social roles alloted them - no matter how noble, was simply overdone. Of course, the message is a damn good one, but seemed to me that it was so 'in your face' through the whole film, that any depth the film could have had was suffocated by it. Okay: yes I am a male who, in 1950, was twenty years away from even being an idea in my parents minds. I am aware that my perspective might be checkered. But it has been confirmed by EVERY SINGLE person I know of the appropriate age who has seen the film. Not to deny that things were bad and that this film shows those things well. But - let me put it in the words of my mother - in the movie, there is not a single male character who does not have a major character flaw, and in reality, things just weren't that black and white. Basically, the problem is that the film is just too black and white and because of that, you find yourself saying: "Enough already. I get the point." So there you have it: okay. To put it another way, I liked it enough to consider spending the money for the DVD; I just probably won't watch this one as much as some of my others.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the real Wellesley!
Review: Cute movie, and it was fun to watch them filming on our campus in Fall 2002, but please *don't* accept this movie as any sort of realistic portrayal of Wellesley College! The best part of this movie is the beautiful shots of our campus (the Galestone Tower, the Chapel interior and exterior, etc).
Inaccuracies aside (and it's a BIG aside), I thought that the movie was o.k. at best. The sub-plots with the individual students were much more interesting than the main professor-comes-to-liberate-Wellesley story. Keep an eye out for Ginnifer Goodwin, who is excellent. The costumes are accurate for the period, but not for everyday Wellesley wear.
In the end, the movie could have been a lot better, but it probably could have been worse.
Rating:
Summary: the 1950's are HISTORY? ouch.
Review: Both my wife and i enjoyed the movie and teared up at the end. We are both baby-boomers, we lived through those days. i remember my mom spoke seriously about the need for her to be home when us kids got there. But those days are gone, thankfully. For to relegate 1/2 the population to domestic servitude is to waste a significant part of their abilities, for taking care of a household and children is not a full time job in this country. period. The movie is a clash of hopes. hopes about the future and a young bright womans part in it. Society ought not to put major roadblocks in their way(i am male) on the route to self realization. biology does the job intensely enough. and that is the movie. the clash of biology(the drive to reproduce and guard the offspring), the clash of cultural power whether a manipulative mother or a college's board of directors. Julia Roberts is ok in the part, but you are always aware that it is J.R. playing a part, perhaps the problem of fame. the plot is well done, you find yourself cheering for the few who see a way out of their appointed-for-them destiny and you sympathize with their dilemma. so it is a tear jerker, with a moral. not a bad way to spend an hour or two. something to talk about over coffee afterwards. go with a babyboomer, things have changed, maybe not always for the better, but the direction is right.
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