Mona Lisa Smile

The characters involve us, we sympathize with their dreams and despair of their matrimonial tunnel vision, and at the end we are relieved that we listened to Miss Watson and became the wonderful people who we are today.

The men here are negligible, but all the actresses are good -- especially Dunst, who shows a previously unrevealed gift for blending cold conservative roots, starchy appearance, forgiveness and unexpected redemption.

Still, if it doesn't go down in film history as a key moment in Roberts' career, it might very well be remembered as a breakthrough for one of its trio of rising stars.

In terms of the gap between the movie it's trying to be and the movie it actually is, Mona Lisa Smile is in many ways indefensible. Yet for all its problems, it's satisfyingly movielike. The minutes drift by pleasurably and mindlessly.

It almost takes skill to make this cast dull, but the relentlessly tepid film does it anyway, by never getting the characters straight.

An appealing female cast gives the hollowly formulaic Mona Lisa Smile more dignity than it perhaps deserves, yet it's Julia Roberts in an ill-suited starring role that represents one of the film's chief shortcomings.

It's a gussied-up sorority-of-rising-stars project produced, I fantasize, by baby-boomer studio guys whose younger spouses articulately defend a woman's right to stay home and raise the kids.

Art overcoming mental barriers. This film tells the story of a young teacher of art history who teaches in an ultraconservative female private school. Through their ideas, she will discuss the school's rigid moral and the rules of the society of fifties, managing to earn the respect of his colleagues and the affection of the students. Directed by Mike Newell, this movie features Julia Roberts as the protagonist and Kirsten Dunst in the role of a conservative student, who will lead the opposition to the modern ideas concerning women. This film could be just another film about the private schools of American rich kids if it were three important factors that make the difference: the first is the good performance of Julia Roberts, even better than in other more acclaimed films; the second is the song "The Heart of Every Girl" composed by Sir Elton John purposely for the film and winner **** Globe; the third is the screenplay, very well written and directed, focusing not only in the change of mind of the students but also in the drastic change of the role of women during the twentieth century. Despite the positive notes, this movie has two serious defects. The first is that it is too similar to the movie "Dead Poets Society". So similar that all those who watch this film without paying attention will think it is just a female version of the film starring Robin Williams. The second flaw in this movie is too much focus on the fights between girls, which only served to lighten the film and remove maturity to the plot. Maybe it was because of these small defects that the film never reached a higher level of recognition and reputation: contrary to "The Dead Poets Club" (comparisons are inevitable), this film didn't received major awards or nominations. Nevertheless, it's truly remarkable and deserves place in the living room of any lover of good cinema.

I'd rather drink lemon juice with razors in it. One of the worst movies I have ever seen. STAY FAR AWAY FROM THIS PIECE OF CRAP!! HOW CAN ANYONE LIKE THIS?