Taglines: In a world that told them how to think, she showed them how to live.
1953 America was a time ripe for change for women and when Katherine Ann Willis (Julia Roberts) arrives to teach Art History at Wellesley College, she finds the institution drowning in outdated mores. While the nation struggles with the fears that accompany a shifting political culture, the powers that be at Wellesley seem to want to re-corset the women who had been the backbone of the World War II workforce just a few years earlier. A passionate educator, Katherine takes on the establishment and in doing so, deeply affects her students who in turn lead her to alter the course of her life forever.
In Revolution Studio’s Mona Lisa Smile, Julia Roberts leads an all-star cast of prominent young actresses including Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal and newcomer Ginnifer Goodwin, in a story of women struggling to define themselves in a world that has already defined them.
Katherine Watson (Roberts) travels from California to the New England campus of Wellesley College in the fall of 1953 to teach art history. In the post-war era, Katherine expects that her students, the best and the brightest in the country, will take advantage of the opportunities presented to them.
Soon after her arrival, however, Katherine discovers that the environment at the prestigious institution is steeped in conformity. According to their poise and elocution teacher Nancy Abbey (Marcia Gay Harden), an engagement ring on a young woman’s finger is considered a bigger prize than a well-rounded education. When Katherine encourages her students to think independently, she runs afoul of the more conservative faculty and alumni, including one of her students, the upper crust Betty Warren (Dunst). The recently married Betty becomes a formidable adversary when Katherine persuades her best friend, Joan Brandwyn (Stiles), to apply to Yale Law School – even as Joan is awaiting a proposal of marriage from her boyfriend.
For the smart and provocative Giselle Levy (Gyllenhaal), Katherine becomes a much-needed role model and mentor. The sweet and shy Connie Baker (Goodwin) also draws courage from Katherine’s example and gains the confidence to break through her insecurities. In a world that told them how to live, Katherine teaches them how to think for themselves. Through her students’ trials to find their own way, Katherine learns to chart a different course for herself as well.
Read the Full Production Notes
Mona Lisa Smile
Directed by: Mike Newell
Starring: Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dominic West, Juliet Stevenson, Marcia Gay Harden
Screenplay by: Larry Konner, Mark Rosenthal
Production Design by: Jane Musky
Cinematography by: Anastas N. Michos
Film Editing by: Mick Audsley
Costume Design by: Michael Dennison
Set Decoration by: Susan Bode, Chris Nickerson
Music by: Rachel Portman
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sexual content and thematic issues.
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: December 19, 2003