MovieChat Forums > Mona Lisa (1986) Discussion > Bit of a 'Shaggy Dog' story

Bit of a 'Shaggy Dog' story


One newspaper reviewer described the film as this when it first came out, and even though I rated it an 8/10, I have to agree with his assessment.

A shaggy dog story is basically a long-winded tale without a punchline, or an anti-climax.

So after all this drama and risking life and limb that Hoskin's character goes through, he finds out that she was simply in love with the girl he was trying to find the whole time, and that she was playing him.

I mean, what was the point of all that in the end?

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George is a tough, fight-ready guy but hes also kind-hearted and genuine, and sadly a bit of a doormat. He learns a very painful lesson about only trusting number 1, but on the plus side, he also gets rid of Mortwell and Anderson, two very dangerous and evil men (well, Simone actually did it, but George protected her along the way and was mainly responsible for her having the opportunity to do it). Its about the tragedy of being naive.

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So after all this drama and risking life and limb that Hoskin's character goes through, he finds out that she was simply in love with the girl he was trying to find the whole time, and that she was playing him


I guess the punchline is that George (Hoskins) finally figures out that he's been used by others his whole life. Mortwell (Caine) used him by having George serve time in prison as a scapegoat for Mortwell's crimes, all the while promising to take care of him afterwards. Simone used him by leading him on when she had no interest in him as a friend, much less a lover.

In the end, George finds fulfillment by leaving a life of crime, restoring his relationship with his daughter, and by helping his friend/roommate out at the shop.

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Very well put Edward!

I guess the most telling line is "I've sld myself for a couple of dykes."

George realized he had been chasing a fantasy all along, or his "Mona Lisa".

Limit of the Willing Suspension of Disbelief: directly proportional to its awesomeness.

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When I first saw Mona Lisa, I was a little underwhelmed because the story didn't seem strong. On repeated viewings, it grew on me, because I came to see the plot as secondary with the focus being a character study of George, with a great performance by Bob Hoskins.

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I agree. I kept wondering all the time... what's the point? Why is he such a -simpleton-?

I think all the Neil Jordan movies I've seen are like this---they're character studies. A bit over the top melodramatic. A bit weak on plot. You're either touched by the people and don't sweat it... or not.

In this case, I overlooked a lot of almost amateur film things (that fight on the boardwalk and the shootout were almost high school quality) and just got off on Bob's performance. Pretty darned charismatic.

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I agree that this isn't the sort of movie you watch for the plot, you watch it for the performances. Bob Hoskins gave a phenomenal performance as a vulnerable and sensitive man who by circumstance was thrown into a world of violence and vice. Because he was so good-natured and trusting, he never was really corrupted by it, but it also made him an easy target for exploitation by those around him (Tyson and Caine's characters, who also gave great supporting performances and had some memorable scenes as cold manipulators opposite the naive, trusting George).

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Through current lenses George would've been seen as a "Nice Guy".

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