I Eat Movies #32: Mike's First Time - Mona Lisa (1986)

Spring has sprung and cohosts Dino and Mike return to bask in the neo-noir glow of Neil Jordan's breakout hit in I Eat Movies #32: Mike's First Time - Mona Lisa (1986). Charting the symbiotic relationship between Bob Hoskins' turn in The Long Good Friday (1980) and arguably his best performance here as a recently released prisoner turned chauffeur to a high-class call girl he falls for, Mona Lisa deals with a man's complexity in understanding women as well as a society he longer recognizes. In addition, Mike and Dino dish on the humorous relationship between Hoskins and IEM alumni Robbie Coltrane, Michael Caine's chilling turn that his real life wife loathed and Jordan's beautifully constructed script. In addition, Mike reveals his favorite song of all time while discussing Genesis' memorable inclusion in the film while, the importance of ambiguity and resistance in spelling everything out within a plot makes a stronger film is discussed. We may never be like normal people but, take a stroll with us on the boardwalk of this most tragic love story where manipulation is its key export.