Mona Lisa

Mona Lisa (1986)

  • 96% of critics liked it
    (27 reviews)

  • 79% of users liked it
    (5,173 ratings)

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,… More

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R, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By
Neil Jordan
Written By
Neil Jordan, David Leland
Genres
Drama, Romance, Mystery & Suspense
In Theaters
Jun 13, 1986 Wide
On DVD
Mar 13, 2001
Anchor Bay Entertainment

Critic Reviews

  • Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

    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.

  • Variety Staff, Variety

    Skillfully combines comedy and thriller, romance and sleaze.

  • Vincent Canby, New York Times

    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.

  • Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

    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.

  • James Berardinelli, ReelViews

    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.

Read all 17 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

  • Randy T


    Edgy, but in a polite, British sort of way. Bob Hoskins is absolutely spot-on (as usual).

  • Pierluigi P


    Only someone as vulnerable and sincere as Bob Hoskins could play the central character, an ex-con, loner, cheap, no good, now a chauffeur, with a taste for stories and a fixation for the hooker he works for. His performance carries the film. I love the use of Nat "King"… More

  • Graham J


    A great little film with great performances from Bob Hoskins and Michael Caine.

  • Sarah G


    Really brilliant stuff here by Neil Jordan and totally 100% believable. Brilliant directed and gorgeously photographed too. Brilliant performance by the great Bob Hoskins who missed out on the Oscar at the time to Paul Newman. Mona Lisa may very well be one of most underrated films I… More

  • Anthony L


    A brilliant British film, often overlooked and a firm favourite of mine!

Read all 12 featured audience ratings

Cast

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