Analysis on the movie Mona Lisa Smile

My Grandma’s really into buying bootleg DVD’s at the Flea Market and picked up Mona Lisa Smile. I didn’t see it in theaters but I heard awful reviews of it. Everything from “this movies doesn’t make sense,” to “just feminist garbage”.

Bored off my mind one night, I decided to pop the DVD in and have a look with my cousin. Both her and I agreed it was one of the best movies we had ever seen! We loved every character, we thought it was so well done, and the plot was just amazing. There is not one girl that can not relate with this movie because relating to one or more of the female characters is so easy and comforting. This is probably the reason male critics gave it such a harsh review because the movie entails women being intelligent, not always choosing men or marriage, and worst of all being independent.

Kirsten Dunst was definitely my favorite character. From the beginning she attests to Julia Roberts’ character’s liberal views, when all Roberts is really demanding from her students is for them to think for their selves. Dunst’s character follows her childhood dream and gets married while in college, throwing away a possible future career in her major. Despite being married and aiming to be perfect house-wife of the 50’s, Dunst still attends college, but Roberts asks basically asks her what for? This is where things get tense.

Both characters go into a battle of the times. Dunst’s character puts up a good fight, stressing Roberts’ character out to the point where she practically almost loses her mind and her job. Among the attacks are questions as to why Roberts’ character isn’t married, and especially

why she goes around throwing away perfectly good marriage proposals? The answer of course is that Roberts’ character loves her independence! She loves to be free, to do what she wants without a man’s input. And it isn’t like Roberts’ character doesn’t like the company of a man, but she wants the company of the right man, an honest, good man.

The war wages between the two, and finally Dunst’s character disengages from the fight, realizing Roberts’ character is right and that her whole outlook of women-hood should not be how great a wife you are, but how great a woman you can be using your knowledge and skills the way you want to use them. Finally fed up with her husband’s cheating and marriage’s fake perfection, she files for divorce against her mother’s wishes and decides to be an independent woman. Roberts’ character has succeeded and Dunst now can not bear to leave the teacher who has changed her perception on life for the better.

This movie is so encouraging to women who want to rise above what society expects. Surprisingly, it didn’t encourage women to rebel against the house-wife role, but to realize one has the freedom to choose roles, not to be forced into them. It’s a message the women of today should listen to. I loved this movie and would recommend it to every woman out there.