Mona Lisa Smile DVD Review:

1953, Katherine Watson (Roberts) has landed her dream job at Wellesley Girls College and her chance to influence the best female minds in the US. Teaching art history, Katherine sees this as an opportunity to open up the girl’s minds, enabling them to see all the possibilities that life has to offer and not just marriage and a family. The problem is that her free-spirited, Californian ways don’t exactly go down well with the facility and one certain, single-minded pupil called Betty (Dunst).

A good director, a charismatic leading actress and a collection of some of the best young American female talent are all let down by meandering and quite dull screenplay.

At nearly two hours long this is a story that fails to hold your attention however good the talent on the screen is. Set at the start of the feminist revolution when women where at last starting to have voice in a male oriented world and realising that there was more than just raising a family and being a good wife, the film offers up a story of change and empowerment by the themes are far too slight to grab your attention. When the sub plots are more enthralling than the main story then you know you have a problem.

Julia Roberts does her best with a role that doesn’t really challenge her. Where the rest of the cast fit into the 50s era, Roberts seems out of place by two decades feeling and looking more like a new age hippy than post war teacher. She is supposed to be a strong willed woman, fighting for change in how women are perceived in society but she just comes across as someone who has had visions of the future or has travelled back to try and change this.

Her supporting cast fair a lot better however. The stories of the four main students unintentionally become the driving force of the movie. Kirsten Dunst reminds you what a great dramatic actress she can be with a standout turn as Betty, the girl who see marriage as the only safe option in a woman’s life. It exposes a wicked side to her craft and could open he up to more villainous roles in the future. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s career continues to go from strength to strength with another standout performance. As the man-eater of the group Giselle, she excels in a role that would have stolen all of your attention if the screenplay had better served the character. You only get glimpses into the complexities of her but it is to Gyllenhaal’s credit that you notice them at all. Julia Stiles profile continues to grow as Joan, the student with the most potential and the possibility of a great future. This is an ideal role for the talented young actress to showcase again what she can do. Relative newcomer Ginnifer Goodwin almost steals the show as the nervous and self-conscious Connie, whose story of personal growth is probably the most uplifting of the group.

There is also good support from Dominic West as lothario Bill Dunbar and Marcia Gay Harden as Nancy, Katherine overbearing and proper landlady.

What ‘Mona Lisa Smile’ lacks is an engaging lead narrative that will keep you interested until the slightly rushed finale. Enjoyable in parts with good performances and the subplots do their best to add some stimulation but this is not the female version of “Dead Poets Society’ that the trailer may have suggested.

Star Rating = * *

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is extremely good. The picture quality is extremely sharp throughout and it accentuates Mike Newell’s vision of 1950s America. The sound quality is also good with a strong emphasis on dialogue, as you’d expect from a character driven drama.

Art Forum (6.33 mins)

Stars Kristen Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Julia Stiles, Ginnifer Goodwin and Marisa Gay Harden discuss what they like about art. With behind the scenes footage the girls discuss the influence of art on the movie and talk about artists and their work, including the Mona Lisa.

College: Then and Now (14.40 mins)

Director Mike Newell, producers Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Deborah Schindler and Paul Schiff and stars Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Marisa Gay Harden, Topher Grace, Ginnifer Goodwin, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Dominic West and Laura Allen talk about how different it is for women now than it was in the 1950s. The featurette reveals the percentage differences between then and now for women obtaining degrees, the average material age and jobs, with the cast and crew passing comment on each statistic.

What Women Wanted: 1953 (10.43 mins)

Director Mike Newell, producers Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Deborah Schindler and Paul Schiff and stars Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Marisa Gay Harden, Topher Grace and Ginnifer Goodwin discuss American society’s expectation of women in 1953. With the help of archival footage and behind the scenes insights into the film, the featurette reveals the major differences in attitudes towards a women’s role.

Elton John’s “The Heart of every Girl” music video (3.56 mins)

Elton’s song that was used to promote the movie.

Filmographies
View a list of film that director Mike Newell, writers Lawrence Komner and Mark Rosenthal and actresses Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Marisa Gay Harden have been involved with.

Trailers
The full trailer for Mona Lisa Smile and previews of Big Fish, Gothika, The Missing, My Best Friends Wedding, Spider-Man 2 and Step Mom.

OVERALL
There is no denying that the quality of the transfer is really high but the bonus features are a little lacklustre. The featurettes are not that bad but with no commentary track or a simple making of… featurette they don’t really make up for this lack of interesting material. Fans of the film could be slightly disappointed with them.

DVD Star Rating = * *

Jamie Kelwick

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