Arts

Film: Mona Lisa Smile

I couldn't stop thinking that Mona Lisa Smile is really just a Dead Poets Society with girls. Many of the set pieces seem to be lifted from one film to the other, and the main theme - be true to yourself - is identical.

That's not to say it's a bad film. It's a well-told story, played out by a great cast. (Look at that cast list again. It reads like a casting director's wishlist. There's even a surprise visit from Tori Amos). A number of scenes really stand out, including a pair of tear-jerkers to challenge the "Captain, my Captain" proclamations of 1989.

Good stuff for a quiet Tuesday night. Even better if you weren't a cinema-goer in the late eighties.