In Mona Lisa Smile, Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) joins the faculty of an all-girl's college to teach Art History. But because the girls are being taught how to be passive housewives instead of independent thinkers, she also works to impart her feminist ideals to the students and school board.
And you thought Hollywood had an aversion to producing timely pictures. In a world where Oprah, Jennifer Lopez, and Britney Spears are as financially successful as their male counterparts, the film is definitely dated as a result. The unfaithful opposite sex is the most timeless aspect of the story. Ironically, there is only one guy in the film who is capable of being monogamous, and who supports feminism. This is ironic because MLS is supposedly an advocate for evenhandedness. Clearly the scriptwriter(s) could have driven his/her (or their) point home by depicting an equal amount of good and despicable guys. Ultimately, the movie doesn't feel like a call for equality, but more like lesbian propaganda; minus the girl on girl sex, plus the impenetrable, ladies-only bond. To be safe, guys might want to remind their girlfriends or wives how much they love them throughout the film's duration.
It must have been a stretch for Julia Roberts, one of the most traditional actresses of today, to play the role of a nonconformist. After all, the actress has more asinine romantic comedies under her belt than incendiary indies. Unsurprisingly, her portrayal of a feminist is as believable and passionate as a KKK member portraying an NAACP affiliate.
Nonconformist Maggie Gyllenhaal, who bravely portrayed a masochist in the Secretary, plays the role of the school's whore. Unfortunately, because the film is such a brief ensemble drama, her character isn't given time to bloom into a three-dimensional human being. She isn't even given enough scenes to demonstrate how much of a whore she is. As a result, poor Gyllenhaal, one of the cinema's latest talents, is underused.
The film's best performance comes courtesy of the younger, underrated Kirsten Dunst, who plays the role of one of the school's most outspoken students (though not outspoken enough to be a feminist, obviously). Dunst accentuates her emotions with great subtlety via her piercing green eyes, effortlessly switching between venomous and vulnerable without ever transforming into a salivating, Oscar-hungry bloodhound. She is Mona Lisa Smile's main attraction.
