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| Mona Lisa Smile - 2003 |
Coming up next we have 2003's "Mona Lisa Smile", a film about an art teacher who accepts a position at a prestigious ladies' college and challenges the way way in which they view art, their lives, and their places in the world.
The film's cast includes Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Ginnifer Goodwin, Dominic West, Juliet Stevenson, Marcia Gay Harden, Marian Seldes, Laura Allen, Topher Grace, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Lisa Roberts Gillan, Marylouise Burke, and John Slattery.
Katherine Watson comes from California to teach art history at prestigious Wellesley College in Massachusetts.
She is instantly struck by how straight-laced and conservative the school is. Katherine becomes shocked that the school is little more than a waiting room for young girls hoping for marriage. The teachers there don't encourage any modern thinking. Nancy teaches poise and elocution, essentials for a woman who hopes to further her husband's career. "I thought I was headed to a place that turned out tomorrow's leaders, not their wives!" complains an exasperated Katherine.
Katherine also has reason to doubt a fellow teacher who has a romantic interest in her. He is under her scrutinizing gaze.
But with her smile and good humor, Katherine is able to make the best of her tenuous situation.
She challenges her students to rethink the mold that's been prescribed for their lives, to look outside the box when it comes to art, and consider the world from a different point of view.
But, Katherine continues to clash with students. Students from the more powerful families associated with the school even issue threats. "If you fail me, there will be consequences," warns one of them.
However, Katherine's unique classes prove to be extremely popular with the student body, and enrollment has gone up considerably for the next term. The board decides that she can return to teach at the school if she will consent to a more structured program that is submitted for their approval first.
Katherine decides that this isn't for her, opting to travel Europe instead. She pens a farewell note to each of her students ahead of graduation day.
Throughout time at Wellesley, Katherine influences a core group of girls. Among them is Connie Baker, a young woman with self esteem issues and the desire to find her dreamboat.
Giselle Levy is someone who looks up to Katherine, but is on a destructive path that leads to flying from man to man and turning to alcohol. Her more liberal views are frequently at odds with several of her classmates' more conservative outlooks.
Joan Brandwyn is a bright young woman who is torn between pursuing a career and settling down with the man she loves. Katherine tells her that she can have both, and she helps her student to see that she's got more options than just marriage.
And, finally, there is Betty Warren, who's desire to portray the perfect wife and "Wellesley girl" betray the awful truth that her ideal world is crashing down around her. She is quite formidable, challenging the knowledge that Katherine seeks to impart to her students.
But, by the time graduation day arrives, Katherine is pleasantly surprised to see the difference that she's made in the lives of the students that she's touched.
Cast rundown:
Julia Roberts.....................................Katherine Watson
Kirsten Dunst....................................Betty Warren
Julia Stiles........................................Joan Brandwyn
Maggie Gyllenhaal..............................Giselle Levy
Ginnifer Goodwin...............................Connie Baker
Dominic West....................................Bill Dunbar
Juliet Stevenson.................................Amanda Armstrong
Marcia Gay Harden.............................Nancy Abbey
Marian Seldes....................................Jocelyn Carr
Laura Allen........................................Susan Delacorte
Topher Grace.....................................Tommy Donegal
Ebon Moss-Bachrach...........................Charlie Stewart
Lisa Roberts Gillan..............................Miss Albini
Marylouise Burke................................Secretary
John Slattery......................................Paul Moore
And that's it for Mona Lisa Smile. To prepare for their roles as students, many of the lead actors were put through a two-week course at a finishing school before they began filming. Julia Roberts observed art history classes at New York University to prepare for her role as Katherine Watson. Many of Wellesley alumni expressed their dissatisfaction of the way the school was portrayed in the film, maintaining that the atmosphere was never like that. Laura Allen, who appeared in a minor role in the film and was an actual graduate of Wellesley, expressed her regret at appearing in the film after the negative backlash.
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