Movies like Mona Lisa Smile
If you like "Mona Lisa Smile" you are looking for inspirational, touching and sentimental movies about / with feminism, teacher, college, coming of age, art, art history and feminist themes of Drama genre shot in USA.
Find your next favorite and similar movies in two steps:
1. Identify all themes of interest from this film (block below).
2. Look for them in the presented list.
Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
99K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
The story of Katherine Ann Watson, a feminist teacher who studied at UCLA graduate school and in 1953 left her boyfriend behind in Los Angeles, California to teach at Wellesley College, a conservative women's private liberal arts college in Massachusetts, United States.
Style:
inspirational, touching, sentimental, romantic, period piece, sweet, educational, sociological, thought provoking, independent film ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night, teens
Plot:
feminism, teacher, college, coming of age, art, art history, feminist, gender, life philosophy, teachers and students, dedicated educator, boarding school, college life, women, irreverence, writers, prejudice, destiny, love story, professor, idealism, bittersweet, art school, strong female presence, high school ...
Time:
50s, 1950s, year 2003, post world war two, 20th century, year 1953
Place:
massachusetts, boston, california, usa, new york, manhattan new york city, harvard university ...
Movie in categories
Most similar movies to Mona Lisa Smile
The list contains related movies ordered by similarity. Recommendation engine sorted out realistic, touching, dramatic and serious films with plots about friendship, mentor, culture clash, coming of age, catastrophe, childhood and runaway mostly in Drama, Comedy and Biography genres. Some movies like Mona Lisa Smile: Dead Poets Society (1989), Little Women (1994), Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), The Emperor's Club (2002), Detachment (2011). The matching attributes are highlighted in bold.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 128 min.
Story:
At an elite, old-fashioned boarding school in New England, a passionate English teacher inspires his students to rebel against convention and seize the potential of every day, courting the disdain of the stern headmaster.
Style:
philosophical, inspirational, sentimental, uplifting, touching ...
Audience:
teens, family friendly, kids, family outing, girls' night ...
Plot:
teacher, suicide, poetry, coming of age, poet, mentor, teenager, literature, teachers and students, friendship, philosophy, dedicated educator ...
Time:
50s, 1950s, 20th century, year 1989, year 1959
Place:
vermont, new england, usa, harvard university
Similarity:
86%
Genre: Drama, Family, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min.
Story:
With their father away as a chaplain in the Civil War, Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy grow up with their mother in somewhat reduced circumstances. They are a close family who inevitably have their squabbles and tragedies. But the bond holds even when, later, ...
Style:
sentimental, costume drama, uplifting, period piece, tear jerker ...
Audience:
girls' night, kids, family outing, teens, date night ...
Plot:
sisters, family values, coming of age, friendship, women, christmas, family bonds, first love, life changing experience, love and romance, everyday life, civil war ...
Time:
19th century, victorian era, 1800s, 90s, ancient times ...
Place:
new york, massachusetts, usa, new england, paris france ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min.
Story:
Amidst her own personality crisis, southern housewife Evelyn Couch meets Ninny, an outgoing old woman who tells her the story of Idgie Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison, two young women who experienced hardships and love in Whistle Stop, Alabama in the ...
Style:
feel good, sentimental, captivating, touching, sad ...
Audience:
girls' night, chick flick, kids, teen drama
Plot:
small town, friendship, lesbian, feminism, self discovery, feminist, small town life, lgbtq, cannibalism, midlife crisis, female bonding, female protagonist ...
Time:
1920s, 1930s, 90s, year 1991, 20th century ...
Place:
alabama, southern usa, usa, georgia, louisiana ...
Similarity:
83%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
William Hundert is a passionate and principled Classics professor who finds his tightly-controlled world shaken and inexorably altered when a new student, Sedgewick Bell, walks into his classroom. What begins as a fierce battle of wills gives way to ...
Style:
inspirational, realistic, touching, contemplative, emotional ...
Audience:
kids, teens, girls' night
Plot:
teacher, dedicated educator, coming of age, boarding school life, ethics, school teacher, schoolboy, boarding school, teachers and students, youth, hardcase students, boys' school ...
Time:
20th century, year 2002, 70s, 2000s, future
Place:
washington d.c., pennsylvania, new jersey
Similarity:
71%
Movie in collections
110K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min.
Story:
A chronicle of three weeks in the lives of several high school teachers, administrators and students through the eyes of substitute teacher, Henry Barthes. Henry roams from school to school, imparting modes of knowledge, but never staying long ...
Style:
psychological, depressing, bleak, thought provoking, independent film ...
Audience:
teens
Plot:
teacher, depression, suicide, teachers and students, dedicated educator, school, unhappy, social problems, high school life, teen angst, human relationship, social decay ...
Time:
2010s, 21st century
Place:
usa
Similarity:
75%
Genre: Drama, Music
Country: France, Switzerland, Germany
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Set in 1940's France, a new teacher at a school for disruptive boys gives hope and inspiration.
Style:
touching, inspirational, uplifting, feel good, sentimental ...
Audience:
kids, teens, teen drama
Plot:
boarding school, teacher, childhood, music, teachers and students, abuse, musician, children, boarding school life, friendship, boss, orphan ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, year 2004
Place:
france, new york, switzerland, europe, paris france ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 95 min.
Story:
"Front of the Class" is based on the true story of Brad Cohen -- played in the movie by Jimmy Wolk -- who, "after being challenged by Tourette's syndrome from a very young age, defies all odds to become a gifted teacher
Style:
touching, inspirational, sentimental, emotional, sweet ...
Audience:
family outing, teens, girls' night
Plot:
teacher, tourette's syndrome, dedicated educator, social misfits, teachers and students, school, disability, life philosophy, honest, friendship, father son relationship, understanding ...
Time:
80s, 21st century
Place:
louisiana, usa, atlanta georgia, england
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
Soon-to-be-wed graduate student Finn Dodd develops cold feet when she suspects her fiancé is cheating on her. In order to clear her head, Finn visits her grandmother, Hy, and great aunt, Glady Joe Cleary, in Grasse, Calif. There, Finn learns that ...
Style:
sentimental, emotional, sweet, touching, talky ...
Audience:
girls' night, chick flick
Plot:
coming of age, marriage, women, friendship, grandmother, marriage proposal, nude model, advice, adultery, stereotypes, interracial romance, family life ...
Time:
20th century, 90s
Place:
usa, california, northern california, north carolina, paris france
Similarity:
100%
Movie in collections
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue education beyond high school.
Style:
inspirational, touching, feel good, sentimental, rough ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, kids, teen drama ...
Plot:
high school, teacher, dedicated educator, teachers and students, lifestyle change, racism, teenage life, strong female lead, mentor, school teacher, bonding, idealism ...
Time:
year 2007, 20th century, year 1961, year 1999, year 2006 ...
Place:
california, los angeles, long beach california, usa
Similarity:
60%
141K
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.
Style:
realistic, sexy, period piece, costume drama, romantic ...
Audience:
date night, teens, chick flick, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
age difference, coming of age, older man younger woman relationship, love affair, lolita, teenage life, teenager, love, self discovery, direction and purpose, older man young girl relationship, betrayal ...
Time:
20th century, year 2009, 1900s, 60s, year 1961
Place:
london, paris france, france, united kingdom, britain ...
Similarity:
50%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA, France
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
The Devil Wears Prada is about a young journalist who moves to New York to work in the fashion industry. Her boss however is extremely demanding and cruel and won’t let her succeed if she doesn’t fit into the high class elegant look of their ...
Style:
romantic, funny, feel good, romantic drama, teen ...
Audience:
chick flick, girls' night, teens, family friendly, date night ...
Plot:
fashion, fashion industry, women, city life, journalism, workplace intrigue, strong female character, workplace situations, career woman, relationship vs career, designer, journalist ...
Time:
year 2006, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
new york, usa, miami, boston, france ...
Similarity:
60%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
When David Greene receives a football scholarship to a prestigious prep school in the 1950s, he feels pressure to hide the fact that he is Jewish from his classmates and teachers, fearing that they may be anti-Semitic. He quickly becomes the big man ...
Style:
emotional, talky, intense, serious, sincere ...
Audience:
teens, family outing, girls' night, kids
Plot:
high school, coming of age, friendship, preparatory school, anti semitism, american football, justice, boarding school life, prejudice, judaism, working class, youth ...
Time:
1950s, 50s, 20th century, year 1992, 80s
Place:
israel, massachusetts, harvard university, usa, boston
Similarity:
50%
32K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 89 min.
Story:
Freshman high-school student Melinda has refused to speak ever since she called the cops on a popular summer party. With her old friends snubbing her for being a rat, and her parents too busy to notice her troubles, she folds into herself, trying to ...
Style:
touching, psychological, independent film, sad, sincere ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
high school, teenage girl, rape, bullying, youth, rape victim, school, teenage life, innocence lost, teenager, unsupportive friend, high school life ...
Time:
2000s, 21st century
Place:
columbus ohio, usa
Similarity:
50%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 123 min.
Story:
Like some other kids, 12-year-old Trevor McKinney believed in the goodness of human nature. Like many other kids, he was determined to change the world for the better. Unlike most other kids, he succeeded.
Style:
touching, inspirational, emotional, motivational, sentimental ...
Audience:
chick flick, kids, teens, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
teacher, childhood, single parent, life philosophy, death, boy, good deed, disfigurement, addiction, abusive husband, childhood trauma, teacher student relationship ...
Time:
year 2000, 20th century, 90s
Place:
tibet, usa, nevada, las vegas
Similarity:
50%
11K
Genre: Drama, War
Country: Spain
Duration: 96 min.
Story:
The film centres on Moncho and his coming-of-age experience in Galicia in 1936. Moncho develops a close relationship with his teacher Don Gregorio who introduces the boy to different things in the world. While the story centres on Moncho's ...
Style:
sentimental, touching, realistic, political, compassionate ...
Audience:
teens, kids
Plot:
spanish civil war, coming of age, civil war, friendship, children, teacher, childhood, altar boy, spanish history, depression, anarchist, family relations ...
Time:
1930s, 20th century, year 1999, 90s, year 1936 ...
Place:
spain, iberian peninsula, barcelona, europe, galicia ...
Similarity:
100%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 109 min.
Story:
A teenager journeys through a series of foster homes after her mother goes to prison for committing a crime of passion.
Style:
intense, disturbing, touching, serious, realistic ...
Audience:
girls' night, teens, chick flick, teen drama
Plot:
coming of age, mother daughter relationship, foster child, women's prison, manipulation, bad mother, murder, teenage life, mother daughter estrangement, borderline personality disorder, mental illness, adoption ...
Time:
year 2002, 21st century
Place:
california, usa, los angeles, nova scotia, mexico
Similarity:
29%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story:
A young, white teacher is assigned to an isolated island off the coast of South Carolina populated mostly by poor black families. He finds that the basically illiterate, neglected children there know so little of the world outside their island.
Style:
deep, realistic, serious, uplifting, thought provoking ...
Plot:
teacher, racism, school teacher, education, youth, racial discrimination, american south, african american, humanist, teaching, black history, blaxploitation ...
Time:
70s, 20th century, 60s, year 1969
Place:
south carolina, america, usa, southern usa
Similarity:
29%
158K
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: Ireland, UK, Canada, USA
Duration: 117 min.
Story:
In 1950s Ireland and New York, young Ellis Lacey has to choose between two men and two countries.
Style:
touching, sentimental, sweet, romantic, period piece ...
Audience:
girls' night, chick flick, date night
Plot:
immigrant, love and romance, starting over, sex scene, marriage proposal, hopes, immigration, friendship, female protagonist, true love, love affair, homesickness ...
Time:
1950s, 50s, 2010s, year 2015, 1900s ...
Place:
ireland, brooklyn new york city, new york, coney island brooklyn new york city, america ...
Similarity:
28%
Movie in collections
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 101 min.
Story:
Convinced he'll graduate with honors because of his thesis paper, a stuffy Harvard student finds his paper being held hostage by a homeless man, who might be the guy to school the young man in life.
Style:
feel good, sentimental, touching, road movie, semi serious ...
Audience:
kids, girls' night
Plot:
college, friendship, homeless, homeless man, happy ending, college student, youth, campus, father son relationship, law school, justice, graduation ...
Time:
90s, year 1994, 20th century, future
Place:
massachusetts, harvard university, usa, boston, new jersey
Similarity:
28%
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 103 min.
Story:
Jaime Escalante is a mathematics teacher in a school in a hispanic neighbourhood. Convinced that his students have potential, he adopts unconventional teaching methods to try and turn gang members and no-hopers into some of the country's top ...
Style:
inspirational, touching, sentimental, realistic, independent film ...
Audience:
teens, family outing, girls' night, kids, teen drama
Plot:
mathematics, teacher, high school, dedicated educator, bullying, school, biopic, mentor, chicano, civil rights, school teacher, coming of age ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, 1930s
Place:
los angeles, america, usa, california
Similarity:
28%
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story:
Five high school students, all different stereotypes, meet in detention, where they pour their hearts out to each other, and discover how they have a lot more in common than they thought.
Style:
cult classic, teen, talky, realistic, inspirational ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, kids, date night ...
Plot:
coming of age, high school, teenager, friendship, teenage angst, youth, adolescence, high school life, teenage girl, detention, teen angst, high school student ...
Time:
80s, 20th century, year 1984, year 1985
Place:
chicago, illinois, seattle
Similarity:
27%
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min.
Story:
Former Marine Louanne Johnson lands a gig teaching in a pilot program for bright but underachieving teens at a notorious inner-city high school. After having a terrible first day, she decides she must throw decorum to the wind. When Johnson returns ...
Style:
inspirational, touching, sentimental, sexy, hood ...
Audience:
teens, date night, kids, girls' night, teen drama
Plot:
high school, teacher, school teacher, profanity, hopes, coming of age, hip hop, school, teaching, ghetto, mentor, gangster ...
Time:
90s, 20th century, 80s
Place:
california, bay area, usa, san francisco, new jersey
Similarity:
50%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
Sylvia Barrett is a rookie teacher at New York's inner-city Calvin Coolidge High: her lit classes are overcrowded, a window is broken, there's no chalk, books arrive late. The administration is concerned mainly with forms and rules ...
Style:
esoteric, independent film, serious, realistic, bleak ...
Plot:
teacher, school teacher, education, teaching, teacher student relationship, high school teacher, high school, dedicated educator, racial discrimination, mentor, racism, unrequited love ...
Time:
year 1967, 60s
Place:
new york, usa
Similarity:
27%
Movie in collections
Genre: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 124 min.
Story:
Story of a schoolteacher's struggle to teach violin to inner-city Harlem kids.
Style:
sentimental, inspirational, touching, emotional, serious ...
Audience:
family outing, girls' night, teens, kids, chick flick
Plot:
teacher, dedicated educator, musician, school teacher, music teacher, female protagonist, teacher student relationship, school, happy ending, music, violinist, single mother ...
Time:
20th century, year 1999, 90s, 80s
Place:
new york, harlem, new york city, usa, harlem, manhattan new york city ...
Similarity:
27%
107K
Genre: Drama
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 100 min.
Story:
Tracy is a normal 13-year-old trying to make it in school. After befriending the most popular girl at school, Evie, Tracy's world is turned upside down when Evie introduces her to a world of sex, drugs and cash. But it isn't long before ...
Style:
tense, sincere, emotional, teen, independent film ...
Audience:
teens, chick flick, girls' night, teen drama, adult
Plot:
coming of age, adolescence, friendship, drug addiction, addiction, peer pressure, teenage protagonist, dysfunctional family, underage drinking, teenage girl, teenager, self harm ...
Time:
year 2003, 20th century, y2k, near future, 2000s ...
Place:
california, usa, los angeles, venice beach california
Similarity:
27%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min.
Story:
Walkout is the true story of a young Mexican American high school teacher, Sal Castro. He mentors a group of students in East Los Angeles, when the students decide to stage a peaceful walkout to protest the injustices of the public school system. ...
Style:
realistic, serious, sincere, captivating, political ...
Audience:
teen drama
Plot:
politics, discrimination, society, righting the wronged, lifestyle, fighting the system, teachers and students, rebelliousness, dedicated educator, activism, resistance, injustice ...
Time:
60s, year 1968, year 1969
Place:
los angeles, usa, california, malibu california
Similarity:
27%
Genre: Drama
Country: UK, USA, Canada
Duration: 126 min.
Story:
It's about a five member family. The father is a conservative and traditional person who directs the family. The mother is at home, she tries to hold together the family, while Mr. Bridge works as a lawyer. The children have just grown up, and ...
Style:
talky, melancholic, realistic, sentimental, family saga ...
Plot:
lawyer, culture clash, cancan dance, family problems, human nature, society, introspection, parents and children, sorority, family relations, dysfunctional family, bittersweet ...
Time:
1940s, 20th century, 1930s, year 1939
Place:
usa, kansas city, missouri, kansas, cleveland ohio ...
Similarity:
50%
Genre: Drama, Music
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min.
Story:
A former professional dancer volunteers to teach dance in the New York public school system and, while his background first clashes with his students' tastes, together they create a completely new style of dance. Based on the story of ballroom ...
Style:
sexy, inspirational, teen, entertaining, captivating ...
Audience:
teens, girls' night, date night, chick flick, kids
Plot:
dancing, teacher, dancer, dance, dancer's life, dedicated educator, high school, teenager, music, respect, teachers and students, tango ...
Time:
year 2006, 20th century, 21st century
Place:
new york, usa
Similarity:
27%
37K
Genre: Drama
Country: France
Duration: 128 min.
Story:
Teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood.
Style:
sincere, melancholic, psychological, realistic, talky ...
Audience:
teens, pre-teens, kids, teen drama
Plot:
teachers and students, high school life, adolescence, dedicated educator, high school, ethnic diversity, mentor, life philosophy, social relations, workplace, self discovery, teaching ...
Time:
year 2008, 2000s, 21st century
Place:
paris france, france, europe, morocco, caribbean ...
Similarity:
26%
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min.
Story:
A college professor travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment.
Style:
depressing, philosophical, touching, independent film, psychological ...
Plot:
immigrant, life, professor, destiny, loneliness, self discovery, friendship, jazz, arrest, lawyer, midlife crisis, existentialism ...
Time:
year 2007
Place:
new york, connecticut, michigan, senegal, manhattan new york city ...
Similarity:
26%
Related movie lists
