Mona Lisa Smile
4:22 p.m. on 2003-12-29

I laughed, I cried. Some parts of the movie were jerky (In one part, there's a wedding, and everybody's going down the aisle. However, instead of hearing the vows being exchanged, the next scene takes place in the party), but I loved seeing "Mona Lisa Smile" today! My mom liked it too. Set in the 1950s (when I first learned this, I wasn't interested in the movie. I changed my tune after seeing scenes on tv), a woman from California (Kathryn) goes to an all-girls' college to teach art. When all the students are already familiar with the material, Kathryn comes up with unorthodox ways to teach her students stuff. The staff don't like this, so when they invite her to return for another year, they put in some conditions. (Everything she teaches will have to be approved first.) Do you think Kathryn will return to the college? "Mona Lisa Smile" isn't just about the new teacher. It's about the lives of her students, and how they handle getting married, being friends, and having boyfriends. There's plenty of lies and deceit going on, but the girls do learn things about themselves. The themes presented in "Mona Lisa Smile" (that I picked up on) are conformity (is it a good idea to only do what others want you to do, even if you don't feel comfortable with doing that?) and sticking up for oneself. There were tears in my eyes in the end. (The ending isn't a sad one, but I'm not going to reveal it in here. You'll have to see the movie for yourselves.) The costumes and music were from the 50s. People working behind the scenes did good research. "Mona Lisa Smile" is a must see movie! It has touching moments, I felt for the characters, and the soundtrack is excellent. My grade for this movie is an A!

last & next & random entry

*HUGS* TOTAL! give Tricia more *HUGS*
Get hugs of your own