| MONA LISA SMILE |
 2003 - USADirector: Mike Newell - Reviewed by Vickie
She can do no wrong in my eyes, and I anxiously await each new project of hers just so I can watch her do her thing onscreen. It will come as no surprise, then, that she was the big draw for me in Mona Lisa Smile and that I spent much of the film waiting and wishing that she’d get more screen time. Maggie plays Giselle Levy, a confident, sassy, brave and funny (but with a twinge of sadness) college student at Wellesley circa the 1950s. Giselle is like a glorious, bright-red rubber band in a sea of beige popsicle sticks—where most of her classmates are dutifully prepping themselves for marriage and settling down, Giselle’s out there living life even if heartache may inevitably ensue. She says what’s on her mind, hugs freely and isn’t afraid to buck the trends her friends embrace. Her dorm mates are less entertaining—there’s ice queen Betty Warren (Kirsten Dunst), moderately likable if somewhat bland Joan Brandwyn (Julia Stiles) and cheerfully earnest optimist Connie Baker (Ginnifer Goodwin, in a terrific, scene-stealing supporting performance). One day, Giselle and the girls find out the school’s hired a new art history teacher named Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts). Katherine’s from California and she’s "subversive." We know this because, when we first see her, Katherine’s wearing flowy red (!) clothes, staring pensively out the window of her train car and looking at slides of exotic art. She’s a single gal and doesn’t understand why her bright, talented and mildly hostile (Betty, I’m looking at you) charges can’t see beyond wedding bands and having kids when they think of their futures. Anyway, back to Giselle. Giselle takes an immediate liking to Katherine, perhaps feeling a kindred free spirit. Betty’s a little less receptive, and promptly engages Katherine in a ruthless battle of wills that involves lots of sneering, cutting remarks and slightly overwrought moments of tension that border on over-the-top. As Katherine settles in, she’s befriended by poise and etiquette professor Nancy Abbey (Marcia Gay Harden), roguish Italian professor Bill Dunbar (Dominic West) and, briefly, school nurse Amanda Armstrong (Juliet Stevenson), who’s one of the film’s more interesting characters but who, unfortunately, exits fairly early on. Betty and Katherine’s emotional tug-of-war and ensuing angst take up the majority of the movie’s running time, and secondary characters like Giselle find themselves left popping in from time to time. But it’s really the Julia (Roberts) and Kirsten show. That’s too bad, because throwing some extra scenes to Maggie (and Ginnifer and Juliet) would only have served to improve what winds up being a fairly straightforward and rather flat drama. Mona Lisa Smile is okay, but not great. It suffers from being a star vehicle for Roberts, who tries to wring every ounce of emotion out of what she’s doing and saying onscreen...so much so that it becomes obvious we’re watching an actress fishing for some nominations. Dunst’s Betty is equally extreme—she’s mean, cruel, unlikable and altogether unpleasant until a stunningly sudden 180° turn in character that feels completely contrived and abrupt (though it does give Maggie one of her best moments in the story). Which brings me back to Ms. Gyllenhaal. *sigh* Did I mention she’s great? ‘Cause she is. Even with limited screen time, she manages to create a three-dimensional character with faults and flourishes, foibles and fun. We don’t need to see or hear Giselle’s life story to understand who she is or why she acts the way she does, which is a testament to Maggie’s talent. Does she need a big, grandstanding scene full of exposition and explanation? Nope. And that rocks. Director Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral) had a grinchload of talent to work with but, sadly, seems to have centered his attention on his big, giant star instead of sharing the wealth among her gifted, if lesser-known, co-stars. The four slices I’m giving this movie are for Maggie, Ginnifer Goodwin, Juliet Stevenson and, because she was a hoot and a half, Donna Mitchell as Betty’s iron-fisted mother, who spends the entire movie looking like she’s going to bitch-slap Betty into next month. Otherwise, Mona Lisa Smile ranks as a pleasant rental. |
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Anyone who knows me knows how I feel about Maggie Gyllenhaal: I think
she’s fantastic.
