My Week with Marilyn

As far as classic actresses go, there’s probably none more iconic than Marilyn Monroe. Audrey Hepburn maybe, but as a brunette I’m probably a little biased. Damn those gentlemen and their preference for blondes!

Anyway, Michelle Williams is currently bringing the famous blonde bombshell to life in a new film directed by Simon Curtis, My Week With Marilyn. And therein lies the danger with icons, bad impersonation and caricature are always lurking. So is it a performance worth the best actress Oscar buzz?

The film is supposedly based on a true story, taken from the memoirs of a young film enthusiast, Colin Clark. It’s 1957, and he’s a gopher working on the ‘The Princess and the Showgirl’, a light comedy starring Laurence Olivier and Marilyn Monroe….. but not all is well. There’s tension on the set, and Colin strikes up an unlikely friendship with the unpredictable actress when her behavior threatens to derail the production.

There’s a lot to like about this film, the performances of a great ensemble cast especially. Michelle Williams is radiant as the troubled star, and so much like the original you forget sometimes who is actually on screen. She brings the fragility, the incredible charisma, the voice, the humour, the sensuality. Everything you love about Marilyn is there, and not laid on too thick which could be tempting with such a personality. A lot of what you get to know about Marilyn’s character is told through William’s eyes. Kenneth Branagh puts his best foot forward as the frustrated Olivier, but sometimes leans towards more of a hammy performance. However I couldn’t decide whether this was a positive or negative of the performance! He certainly is having fun; you can tell the actors are relishing the chance to play such notable members of their craft. Judi Dench, as always, is elegant and commanding as a veteran actress, and gives extra heart to the story.

Eddie Redmayne is freckly and charming as the young Clark enamored by the actress, and he seems to exude wide eyed wonder. The look of the film mirrors this; it’s all sun tinted English autumns and naivety. There are times when Curtis’ direction is beautiful and evocative, especially in the intimate scenes between Colin and Marilyn. There are times too, when the film becomes a bit bogged down in the story and direction. Emma Watson as a costume assistant isn’t given anything to do and the script plays like a fluffy letter written by a Monroe fan. I was more entertained in a comedic sense than I thought I would be, I suppose I was expecting something darker. More of an in depth investigation into the troubled life of a conflicted woman or a heart wrenching romance, but that’s not what you get. It’s lighter, funnier, more sparkly.

The film does hint at darker things to follow mainly through Williams’ performance, you’re aware of seeing a woman self-destruct. We know where this behavior leads, to Marilyn’s untimely death a few years later, but it’s not dealt with fully in this film. I suppose it wasn’t the purpose, and that’s not a bad thing.

3 and a half stars.