2024 Entry #46 06-06-24 “Mona Lisa Smile” is a 2003 American drama film produced by Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures in association with Red Om Films Productions, directed by Mike Newell (“The Good Father”, “Four Weddings and a Funeral”, “An Awfully Big Adventure”), written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, and starring Julia Roberts (“Sleeping with the Enemy”, “My Best Friend’s Wedding”, “The Mexican”, “The Normal Heart”), Kirsten Dunst (“Interview with the Vampire”, “Bring It On”, “Wimbledon”, “The Power of the Dog”), Julia Stiles (“The Lake”), and Maggie Gyllenhaal (“Happy Endings”). The film follows Julia Roberts as Katherine Ann Watson, a 30-year-old woman who takes an Art History teaching position at Wellesley College in 1953. We see her life affecting and affected (am I using the right words?) by her students, her lovers and her coworkers, one of whom is a widowed lesbian, played by Juliet Stevenson (“Food of Love”, “Bend It Like Beckham”, “Infamous”, “Departure”).
I remember renting this movie and feeling like it never quite arrived by the time it was finished. But I’ve re-watched it twice since then and I’ve enjoyed it more each time. Still, I hadn’t seen it in about 15 years when I remembered Juliet Stevenson’s character and decided to revisit it again for this project. I’m glad I did. This was fun.