AT THE MOVIES WITH KASEY BUTCHER
The 1950’s are often viewed as an “Era of Good Feelings” so to speak. World War II had ended and the men were all home. Women were shuttled back to the kitchens to become June Cleaver types and the nuclear family was prominent. A woman was allowed to go to college in spite of her expectations at home, and was perfectly capable balancing the two. Everyone was happy and fulfilled…or so pop-culture would lead one to believe.
Mona Lisa Smile takes a deeper look at the women of the 50’s, in comparison to the famous painting. Mona Lisa seems happy. She’s smiling, but why? Can that half smile be truly interpreted as happiness?
Mona Lisa Smile tells the story of Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), a Berkley educated free-spirit who takes a position as an art history teacher at the prestigious Wellesley College hoping to make a difference in the lives of the young women of the student body. She soon finds that the women in her classes are extremely intelligent, but inhibited from achieving their dreams by a social obligation to marry. One student, Joan (Julia Stiles, Carolina), for example, has the credentials and the drive to become a Yale trained lawyer, but is under pressure from her best friend, Betty (Kirsten Dunst, Levity), to start a family instead. Betty is an opinionated pain in Katherine’s neck and the first of the girls to be married. Betty, however, winds up with unhappiness rather than the marital bliss she expected and causes her friends unhappiness as well. She breaks up the budding first love of Constance (Ginnifer Goodwin, Ed) and makes the already bad reputation of Giselle (Maggie Gyllenhaal, Casa de los Babys) worse. Just like the 50’s, the end brings change. With Katherine’s help, each of the girls discovers a means of being happy on her own terms.
I got to see an early preview of this movie while at the National Scholastic Press Association conference. While sitting in a theater surrounded by my peers I noticed that the boys liked this movie just as much as the girls-it’s not strictly a “chick flick.” It is an inspiring movie that both sexes can enjoy.
I’m not going to say that the acting was brilliant, but it was good enough to bring the characters of the young women to life. Roberts is good, but is upstaged by her co-stars. Gyllenhaal, Dunst and Stiles are excellent in their roles, but Goodwin was by far my favorite. Her portrayal of the wallflower Constance was adorable.
My favorite part of this movie, however, was the beautiful use of art to carry the theme. Katherine uses abstract art to teach the girls to think outside the norm. The rest of the movie takes on an artistic look, using deep, rich colors for costumes and sets. The movie also uses images of the 1950’s from magazines, posters, and advertisements. The mix creates a visually intriguing depiction of an intriguing story.
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