Mona Lisa Smile (2003)

 

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.

As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.

Home Alone 3 (1997)

 

Home Alone 3 - 1997

Coming up next we have 1997's "Home Alone 3", a film about a young boy who finds himself battling a gang of international terrorists after his remote control car.  When nobody believes his story, it's up to him to stop them.

The film's cast includes Alex D. Linz, Olek Krupa, Rya Kihlstedt, Lenny von Dohlen, David Thornton, Haviland Morris, Kevin Kilner, Marian Seldes, Seth Smith, Scarlett Johansson, and Neil Flynn.

On a trip to San Francisco, a remote control car bearing a computer chip belonging to a North Korean terrorist organization is inadvertently picked up by a grumpy lady named Mrs. Hess.  Completely unaware of the mistake, she takes the car home with her to Chicago.

As payment for a snow removal job, Mrs. Hess gives the toy car to her neighbor Alex.  She is definitely unhappy about bringing the car home with her.  She had intended to bring home a loaf of famous San Francisco sourdough bread.  "I left my bread in San Francisco," she moans.

Immediately after returning home with the car, Alex discovers he has the chicken pox.

When his mom gets called into work, Alex has to stay home alone.  He gets into all sorts of mischief, including tormenting Mrs. Hess from across the street.  He uses his own remote control to change her TV channels while she's getting "tanged up on iced tea".

While looking through a telescope around the neighborhood, Alex discovers some suspicious goings-on.  He immediately calls the police.  It turns out that these bad people want the computer chip concealed in the car, and they have tracked it to his particular street.

By the time the police arrive, there is nothing to investigate.  This happens a couple of times, and the police become upset at answering false alarms.

With only his pet rat Doris to believe him, Alex sets out to catch the bad guys himself.

Alex narrowly misses losing the car to the criminals, and it's only through some pretty ingenious moves that he's able to get it back.  However, the bad guys now realize where they have to go.

He calls the Air Force and tells them about the chip.  They don't believe him, but they take down the number on the chip to look into it.  Alex prepares his house for the war he knows is coming.

He engineers a bunch of booby traps that keep the bad guys on their toes.  They can't believe the fight that this kid is putting up!

Even Doris gets in on the action, hiding inside a hole in one of the criminal's pants.  When his accomplice smacks him with a crowbar in a very tender place, Mr. Burton Jernigan moans, "You smacked my winkie!"  To which Alice Ribbons replies, "Well, if you changed your shorts once in a while, maybe you wouldn't have rats in your pants."  (Don't worry.  Doris doesn't get pulverized by a crowbar.  She escapes in plenty of time.)

The FBI comes to the school of Alex's siblings, who can't believe what Alex has gotten himself into.

It takes all of Alex's smarts and ingenuity to stay one-step ahead of the terrorists.  He even gets into a gun fight with the leader.  The FBI arrives in the nick of time and Alex is reward with a six-figure sum as a reward.  The terrorists' reward is jail time...plus a bad case of chicken pox.

Cast rundown:

   Alex D. Linz................................Alex Pruitt

   Olek Krupa.................................Peter Beaupre

   Rya Kihlstedt..............................Alice Ribbons

   Lenny von Dohlen.......................Burton Jernigan

   David Thornton...........................Earl Unger

   Haviland Morris...........................Karen Pruitt

   Kevin Kilner................................Jack Pruitt

   Marian Seldes.............................Mrs. Hess

   Seth Smith.................................Stan Pruitt

   Scarlett Johansson......................Molly Pruitt

   Neil Flynn...................................Police Officer #1

And that's all for Home Alone 3.  I normally don't do sequels before their originals, but this Home Alone installment actually has nothing to do with its predecessors.  Out of four Home Alone movies, this is the only one that isn't set at Christmastime.

As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.