Mona Lisa Smile (2003)

35% of critics liked it
(148 reviews)
61% of users liked it
(189,415 ratings)

Set in 1953, Mona Lisa Smile tells the story of Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts), a new young art history professor at Wellesley College, an all-female campus with a prestigious reputation for academic excellence. Unfortunately for free-minded Berkeley grad Watson, her East Coast teaching stint… More Set in 1953, Mona Lisa Smile tells the story of Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts), a new young art history professor at Wellesley College, an all-female campus with a prestigious reputation for academic excellence. Unfortunately for free-minded Berkeley grad Watson, her East Coast teaching stint comes during a less-progressive time that finds most of her students -- among them Betty Warren (Kirsten Dunst), Joan Brandwyn (Julia Stiles), and Giselle Levy (Maggie Gyllenhaal) -- more interested in nabbing a good husband than achieving scholastic and intellectual growth. Watson challenges her students and the Wellesley faculty to think outside of the current mores of the community and redefine what it means to be a success; meanwhile, she tries to come to terms with her own heart's desires. Mona Lisa Smile co-stars Marcia Gay Harden, Juliet Stevenson, and, as Watson's conflicting love interests, Dominic West and John Slattery. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 47 min.
Directed By: Mike Newell
Written By: Mark Rosenthal, Lawrence Konner
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 19, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Mar 9, 2004
Studio: Sony Pictures Releasing

Critic Reviews

Elizabeth M. Tamny, Chicago Reader
Roberts asks her students rhetorical questions: What makes art good or bad? Who decides? But the movie answers them as canonically as the syllabus Roberts abandons.
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Women of the Fifties, rise up in protest.
Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com
In terms of the gap between the movie it's trying to be and the movie it actually is, Mona Lisa Smile is in many ways indefensible. Yet for all its problems, it's satisfyingly movielike.
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
Anyone who's ever been moved by a teacher to dream a slightly bigger dream than his parents thought he or she was capable of achieving ought to love the film, for it gets at a truer model of teacher's inspiration.
Desson Thomson, Washington Post
Like the turtleneck cashmere sweaters and girdles that tie down these promising women, the movie is trite and trussed.
Claudia Puig, USA Today
Rather than being a fascinating exploration of a much more constrained time in our social history, the film simply feels anachronistic.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Glossy entertainment value but far from art.
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
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."
Prairie Miller, WBAI Web Radio
A keen sense of how women have swam through a whole lot of repression and pain back then, to pave the way for females to breeze along through in the here and now.
Steve Crum, Kansas City Kansan
Period dress, set design, manners and acting are fine--as is Mike Newell's direction. If only the script was less predictable.
Mark Collette, Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)
...would have been better served by characters with a little less formula than the paint-by-numbers projects so loved by these women of Wellesley College.
Joe Utichi, FilmFocus
Mike Newell directs a formulaic Roberts vehicle that isn't without its charm.
Martin Scribbs, Low IQ Canadian
Mike Newell takes the road most travelled in tackling the sexual apartheid and hysteria of the 1950s.

Read all 13 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Bethany M

A nice film that Julia Roberts played outstandingly.
♥Robyn

Mona Lisa Smile,which is set in 1953/54, tells the story of Katherine Ann Watson (played by Julia Roberts), a teacher who studied at UCLA graduate school who leaves her boyfriend behind in Los Angeles to teach at Wellesley College, a conservative women's private liberal arts… More
Mona Lisa Smile,which is set in 1953/54, tells the story of Katherine Ann Watson (played by Julia Roberts), a teacher who studied at UCLA graduate school who leaves her boyfriend behind in Los Angeles to teach at Wellesley College, a conservative women's private liberal arts college in Massachusetts........ she encourages her students to study to become career professionals,she wants her students to lead the world and not just to live as the wife of somebody. She uses modern art to suggest that they need not conform to female stereotype.
Red L

Julia Roberts plays a teacher in the mid-1950's when colleges like Wellesley seem to exist just to prepare young women to be housewives, not independent people. Similar to 'To Sir with Love', the teacher has to not only teach, but inspire her students to strive to do… More
Julia Roberts plays a teacher in the mid-1950's when colleges like Wellesley seem to exist just to prepare young women to be housewives, not independent people. Similar to 'To Sir with Love', the teacher has to not only teach, but inspire her students to strive to do the best they can.
Sarah G

Mona Lisa Smile tries to be something unique and relies on it's all-star female audience far too much. Although I did enjoy it, there seems to be no real qualities to the plot. The cast really keeps your interest in this film and the social context, in which it's set, leaves… More
Mona Lisa Smile tries to be something unique and relies on it's all-star female audience far too much. Although I did enjoy it, there seems to be no real qualities to the plot. The cast really keeps your interest in this film and the social context, in which it's set, leaves you with some interesting questions. *Worth a try*
Wahida K

In a world that told them how to live, she taught them how to think.
Cassie H

Really good movie.
Alice S

Funny and sweet. One of the reasons I like this "inspirational teacher" story is that Katherine gets called out on her own liberal prejudices towards the institution of home, and realizes one's own choices take precedence over pseudo-subversive chic.
Film C

i really enjoyed it really gd
Curtis L

Better than I would have thought. I guess that's what wives are good for.
Candy R

Julia is a art history teacher who tries to inspire her students.
Rachel F

This is not as good as it should have been considering the fact that it had Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Maggie Gyllenhaal in it. It was ok though.
Dean M

This film is <i>Dead Poets Society</i> female version with perfect casting including Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Marcia Gay Harden.
Drew S

A vapid, mindless chick flick that ends up becoming an unintentional caricature of the typical "female empowerment" movie. The director also raped Harry Potter 4, and will now rape Gabriel Garcia Marquez's amazing book Love in the Time of Cholera. Go away!
danny d

boring but had some bright spots
Jason S

eh.
Leigh R

It was alright.
Mouhannad S

Mona Lisa Smile was a fairly good film. Julia Roberts was believable in the role - and it is amusing to see how badly she fared with the critics - not based on her own performance but because she is of course a little out of vogue at the moment.
Matthew R

The film is incredibly trite and cliched in every way.. taking us nowhere we haven't been many times before in many other films. While there were several funny and entertaining moments, the film is just plain mediocre. And it also runs on far too long. Julia Roberts might have… More
The film is incredibly trite and cliched in every way.. taking us nowhere we haven't been many times before in many other films. While there were several funny and entertaining moments, the film is just plain mediocre. And it also runs on far too long. Julia Roberts might have made a mistake by starring in this film with the best young actresses in film today, as they all outsihine her in one way or another. Mona Lisa Smile is a extremely predictable movie with no much substance. Story: C Acting: B- Direction: C Visuals: C+ Overall: C+ **1/2 out of 4 stars
Dannielle A

I first hated this movie because of premarital sex, but I appreciate it better now. It is a well-written screenplay and beautifully acted. It's very true to life.
Joseph E

This film is , in a manner of speaking frankly, slow,dull, boring, and obviously uneducated in the ideas of clich'e, and predictability. That isn't always a bad thing, but in the case of "Mona Lisa Smile", it is a very bad thing. The story had much panache, much… More
This film is , in a manner of speaking frankly, slow,dull, boring, and obviously uneducated in the ideas of clich'e, and predictability. That isn't always a bad thing, but in the case of "Mona Lisa Smile", it is a very bad thing. The story had much panache, much will power, I thought it would be a contender, break the romance movie molds, with something fresh, and beautiful, but obviously, as I said before, I was wrong.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Julia Roberts as Katherine Watson

            Kirsten Dunst as Betty Warren

            Julia Stiles as Joan Brandwyn

            Maggie Gyllenhaal as Giselle Levy

            Juliet Stevenson as Amanda Armstrong

            Dominic West as Bill Dunbar

            Ginnifer Goodwin as Constance Baker

            Topher Grace as Tommy Donegal

            John Slattery as Paul Moore

            Marcia Gay Harden as Nancy Abbey

            Jordan Bridges as Spencer Jones

            Marian Seldes as Jocelyn Carr

            Donna Mitchell as Mrs. Warren

            Terence Rigby as Dr. Edward Staunton

            Laura Allen as Susan Delacorte

            Tori Amos as Wedding Singer

            Christopher Bonomo as Groomsman

            Rony Clanton as Porter

            Leslie Lyles as Housing Director

            Chuck Montgomery as Tall Man

            Joel Palmer as Dancer

            Aleksa Palladino as Frances The Girl In Italian Class

            Lou Brock as Dancer

            Charles Techman as Harvard Dorm Monitor

            Lisa Roberts Gillan as Miss Albini

            Dan Weltner as Dancer

            Larry Grenadier as Bass Player

            Julie Wagner as Bartender

            Becky Veduccio as Blue Ship Hostess

            Kevin Osborne as Band Announcer

            Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Charlie Stewart

            John Scurti as Stan Sher

            James Callahan as John Brandwyn

            Liliane Thomas as Woman On Train

            Krysten Ritter as Art History Student

            Taylor Roberts as Louise

            Paul Vincent Black as Joseph O'Neill

            Jennie Eisenhower as Girl At The Station

            Lily Lodge as House Matron

            Christopher Braden Jones as bartender

            Ed Peed as Taxi Driver

            June Miller as Cape Cod Hostess

            Lauren Adler as Art History Student

            Daisy Baldwin as Art History Student

            Janine Barris as Art History Student

            Emily Bauer as Art History Student

            Kirstie Bingham as Art History Student

            Jennifer Bowen as Art History Student

            Claire Angelique as Art History Student

            Nikki Coble as Art History Student

            Kristen Connolly as Art History Student

            Kristyn Coppola as Art History Student

            Kimberly Ehly as Art History Student

            Megan Marie Ford as Art History Student

            Lauren Fruchter as Art History Student

            Kate Glass as Art History Student

            Amanda Gruss as Art History Student

            Stella Hao as Art History Student

            Walker Hays as Art History Student

            Michele Hillen as Art History Student

            Annika Marks as Art History Student

            Amy Montminy as Art History Student

            Lily Rabe as Art History Student

            Katherine Reilly as Art History Student

            Brandy Tipton as Art History Student

            Trisha Trokan as Art History Student

            Megan Tropea as Art History Student

            Maja Walpvszyl as Art History Student

            Mary S. Pascoe as Photographer

            Elise Passamani as Phyllis

            Laura M. Flahive as Wet Girls

            Devon Jencks as Art History Student

            Erin E. Richardson as Wet Girls

            Emily R. See as Wet Girls

            Rob Buntzen as Wedding Planner Host

            Richard O'Rourke as Igor

            Katherine Argo as Dancer

            Shelby Bond as Wet Girls

            Michael Choi as Dancer

            Melissa Deles as Dancer

            John D. Fowler as Dancer

            Nicole Frydman as Dancer

            Noelle Gibson as Dancer

            Maria Vicens Girau as Dancer

            Natalie Gomez as Dancer

            Sid Grant as Dancer

            Madeleine Hackney as Dancer

            Betina Hershey as Dancer

            Yuval Hod as Dancer

            Richard Jones as Dancer

            Jerry Jordan as Dancer

            Nickolay Khazanov as Dancer

            Nadia Kravets as Dancer

            Maria Levinstein as Dancer

            Kellydawn Malloy as Dancer

            Annette Nicole as Dancer

            Lance Olds as Dancer

            Christian Perry as Dancer

            Daniel Ponickly as Dancer

            Tony Scheppler as Dancer

            Solomon Singer as Dancer

            Gabriel Vaughan as Dancer

            Kim Villanueva as Dancer

            Sarah Billings Wheeler as Dancer

            Denise Zadroga as Dancer

            Peter J. Rowan as Wedding Photographer

            Brad Mehldau as Pianist

            Jennifer H. Anderson as Projectionist

            Lindsey White as Projectionist

            Chris Burke as Custodian

            Dorothy Dwyer as Faculty

            Melanie Angelique Moyer as Christmas Student

            Canedy Knowles as Christmas Student

            Kristen Marie Holly as Christmas Student

            Carrie Ann Kaye as Christmas Student

            Jackie Sanders as Band Announcer
See full cast