Mona Lisa Smile (released in 2003) - Trying to empower women - Starring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles and Maggie Gyllenhaal

Directed by Mark Newell, Mona Lisa Smile is a 2003 drama film. With the title referring to Leonardo da Vinci’s work - The Mona Lisa, the movie is about a progressive feminist teacher, by the name of Katherine Ann Watson (played by Julia Roberts) who leaves behind California and Berkley to teach “History of Art” at Wellesley College in 1953.
Wellesley College is shown to be a conservative woman’s liberal arts college in Massachusetts, where women are taught one thing and one thing only, and that is, how to stand behind her husband and be the perfect wife and mother. Among the students are Betty (played by Kirsten Dunst) whose mother is a trustee and has instilled ideas in Betty, of marrying any upward bound man no matter how morally corrupt he may be. Betty through her editorials in the college newspaper tries hard to discredit Katherine and claims that because of Katherine they are all heading towards communism.
Then there is Joan (played by Julia Styles) a girl who is smart enough to be accepted into Yale Law College, but perhaps not smart enough as she chooses marrying over going to study law. Giselle (played by Maggie Gyllenhaal) is known to be sexually advanced, and rumours claim she had slept with their young Italian professor. Lastly there is Constance (played by Ginnifer Goodwin) who is only concerned about her looks.




Amongst all this is Watson’s complicated love life as well. But, the movie is not about romance and each actor’s love angles. It’s more about each of the supporting star cast trying to find a way out of the gender mould created in that era. It is about Julia Roberts as Katherine and how even though she is the main lead, she does not over shadow any of the other characters, but merely acts as a conductor of change which takes place in the other actors.
The movie is about how free spirited young girls live and behave in a closed system, which with the arrival of Roberts is challenged and thrown open gradually. The girls begin find themselves, with Roberts’ guidance and beliefs. As a viewer you can’t help but identify with Katherine Watson and her students. Not for any other reason, but the fact that they are smart brave women.
Katherine is compelling as a teacher, to the extent that eventually all the girls look up to her and consider her their role model. She forces the students to look at the world through her eyes, and converts even the most difficult of them. She has been asked to return for the next term, because her course has gained immense popularity. But, she can only return if she promises to keep with the schools rules and regulations, which among other things prohibits her from having anything more than classroom subject related conversations with the girls.
In the end, Katherine is shown to have resigned and packed her bags, to travel through Europe. An enjoyable movie all in all, with vivid descriptions of what the 1950’s and 60’s were like in such conservative schools.

Shade (Released in 2003) - Starring Sylvester Stallone, Stuart Townsend, Gabriel Byrne, Melanie Griffith, Jamie Foxx

Sylvester Stallone plays The Dean, an unapproachable erstwhile card sharp. As a young man, Dean played underground poker in an illegal den run by the mob. One of the games was raided by thugs, who shoot randomly, their aim to kill anyone who opposes their plan to steal the moolah; when the men ask everyone to put their hands up - they discover that Dean had an ace up his sleeve, literally. A player at his table is overcome with anger and shoots at Dean - who dodges, but the death toll is immense, at the end of it, only he survives, along with another mobster.
In the present, a street hustler Charlie Miller (Gabriel Byrnes), blackjack dealer and  mechanic Vernon (Stuart Townsend), along with Tiffany (Thandie Newton) are part of a trio who run a scam built around a fake diamond. They’re small time hustlers, infact the money involving the ring is a mere three hundred dollars! Larry Jennings (Jamie Foxx) is a successful gambler, he is approached by the two men to join them in a game involving serious money. Both men are also card sharps of some repute, especially Vernon who knows how to deal the right cards. They lure Larry with a partnership that could rake in earnings worth twenty thousand dollars! As Larry and Charlie talk business, Vernon robs the casino off forty thousand dollars!
Elsewhere, Tiffany ensnares a guy at the bar, who was bothering her initially, takes him to a warehouse with the lure of exciting times ahead, instead, lets in a surgical team, who rob the guy off his kidney, to sell in the black market! Bizarre!




A corrupt cop Scarne (Bo Hopkins) empties Vernon’s earnings, although the latter has the forty thousand stashed on his boots, so that’s safe. Larry agrees to join them. He heads with Charlie for a game; Vernon is already playing there from before. Larry is impatient and impulsive, he starts his own deal - losing over a hundred thousand dollars! The man is unaware that the three impostors are using money belonging to a mobster called Max Malini (Patrick Bauchau) – Larry pays a heavy price for the loss, Malini sending in his henchmen to kill Jennings.
Elsewhere, Dean and Eve (Melanie Griffith), erstwhile partners, she now runs an upscale bar and restaurant, are experiencing a bout of nostalgia. He is considering retirement - not knowing that the trio is planning on taking him on in a game with a buy in of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars and stakes over two million! At this point, the audience is let in on the fact that Vernon and Tiffany were lovers, until he stood her up and Charlie stepped in. Meanwhile, hot on the trail of the trio are Malini’s hoodlums, who catch up with Charlie and demand he pay the money Larry lost. A gun fight ensues, in which Tiffany and Charlie barely manage to escape and hide in the Magic Castle.
Although the film received praise from critics, yet fans were somewhat disappointed with Stallone’s late entry (almost half way through the film). He however, outshone the cast with his acting skills and also his portrayal of  Dean, the sharply dressed character with great skill. Actual card sharps were hired to train the actors, and the major characters of Charlie, Marlo, Malini and Vernon – exist in reality. A good watch , even for the sake of seeing a new side to Stallone’s acting skills.

Bringing down the House (released in 2003) - Starring Steve Martin and Queen Latifah

How can you wipe away years of stereotypical notions and distrust about the other side of the line? Bringing Down the House, is a comical look into the racial stereotypes ingrained in to the American psyche where color decides the quality of life you lead. Directed by Adam Shankman, the movie stars Steve Martin and Queen Latifah, and is about the coming together of two radically different people and understanding life better.
Peter Sanderson is an uptight successful lawyer whose work compulsions has driven a wedge in his marital life. Peter and his wife Jean are separated and he tries hard to connect with his children. But work pressures, competitive partners and bosses keep him away from home. He tries to date the mysterious “Lawyer Girl” to improve his love life and becomes besotted by the picture she sends him. But soon it is revealed that the photo had Charlene Morton, an over-weight African American convict who was trying to get Peter to fight her case. Charlene lands up at stunned Peter's doorstep pleading for him to take up her case as she had been wrongfully incarcerated. When Peter refuses she blackmails him by threatening to make their conversations public. So after a lot of hiccups he agrees to look in to her case and asks her to masquerade as the children's nanny for the while.



On the work front Peter and his partner Howie try hard to impress Mrs Virgine Arness, an eccentric billionairess to get her to transfer some of her business. Mrs Harness is very condescending to the black community and Peter tries hard to placate Charlene who explodes after her insensitive actions. It is extremely hilarious when Charlene's trick of spiking Mrs. Arness's food comes a cropper with Peter consuming the whole concoction subsequently spending the whole evening hopping to the bathroom. Amidst all controversies, Howie takes a shine to Charlene and even the Sanderson kids get to like her. Charlene teaches Peter to loosen up and slowly brings him closer to Jean, his wife.
Peter regrets his earlier actions and agrees to fight Charlene's conviction. He gathers evidence about her boyfriend who had framed her and overturns the verdict. Charlene and Howie get hitched and Peter reconciles with his wife. Mrs. Arness after a mind-boggling night out with fellow black Americans gets to renew her outlook on life and start life afresh. Her business helps Peter to start on his own, away from his catty competitive colleagues.
This movie is a refreshing look at the underlying racial inequities in American society. The perceived notions about the colored people by the white upper class is laid bare and also the movie offers a insight in to the black societies. It is a feel good movie where the triumph of human sensibilities over narrow walls of race and wealth. It sure tickles your funny bone in-spite of tackling such a weighty issue. The movie was both a critical and box office success. Steve Martin was nominated for the MTV award for the best dance sequence. Queen Latifah for her zesty portrayal won the Teen choice awards and the NACCP awards for the best actress. Her fight with Jean's sister Allison also garnered her the eyeballs.
A great movie for shooing away boring weekends.