Factual error: A hard pack of Winston cigarettes is shown, but these were not available in 1953.
Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
Directed by: Mike Newell
Starring: Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal
Factual error: When we hear Doris Day singing "Secret Love" the record we see on the turntable has an RCA Victor label visible/readable. Doris Day songs were released on Columbia Records.
Factual error: When Julia Roberts and her roommate are in their living room and "I Love Lucy" comes on the TV, the opening theme song is accompanied by the traditional heart with "I Love Lucy" written on it. However, this movie takes place in 1953-1954, and that opening for the show wasn't used until the show was put in syndication many years later. During the show's primary run, cartoon characters of Lucy and Ricky opened the show. (00:13:50)
Trivia: In one scene Julia Roberts takes her students to see a painting by Jackson Pollack. Julia's co-star Marcia Gay Harden won her Academy Award playing Pollack's wife in the movie, "Pollack" opposite Ed Harris, who incidentally played Julia's boyfriend/fiance in "Stepmom". (00:45:20)
Katherine Watson: You can confirm to what other people expect of you, or.
Betty Warren: I know. Be ourselves.
Staunton's Secretary: I was in California once. How do you get any work done with all that sunshine?
Katherine Watson: We tan in class.
Joan Brandwyn: You gave me a C.
Katherine Watson: I'm kind.
Joan Brandwyn: The assignment was to write about Bruegel. That's what I did.
Katherine Watson: No, what you did was copy Strauss.
Joan Brandwyn: I was referencing an expert.
Katherine Watson: If I wanted to know what he thought, I'd buy his book.
Question: The lady that plays Julia Stile's mother looks remarkably like Swoozie Kurtz. Any relation?
Question: What does the title have to do with the story, other than the reference to a work of art? I know many people think that the real Mona Lisa has a mysterious smile, but does that have anything to do with the film?
Chosen answer: There is a short discussion (I believe between Kirsten Dunst and Julia Roberts) about things not always being what they seem. They are speaking about the girls' lives, but it also is symbolic of the Mona Lisa smile. Whether she is really smiling is left up to the person viewing the portrait: is she smiling because she is happy? Is she trying to cover up grief/sorrow? Is she smiling at all?
Question: Do the hats the girls wear symbolise anything? Do the colour and numbers show different years or houses?
Answer: The colour change every year and the number is the year they finish (Joan's hat says 54 and their last year is 1954 as Nancy says around new year.)
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Answer: I can not find any reference to Joan Brandwyn's mother. I do not remember seeing her. Perhaps you are thinking of Mrs. Warren, Kirsten Dunst's mother in the film. She is played by Donna Mitchell. I have been unable to find a connection between the two.