Another day, another film I was unable
to see in cinemas but is now part of my DVD collection. Let's finish
this week with My Week With Marilyn.
Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) gets a job
on Laurence Olivier's (Kenneth Branagh) latest film, The Prince And
The Showgirl, which will star Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams).
Marilyn proves to be a bit of a handful on set, which isn't helped
when her husband, Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott) returns to the United
States. The film chronicles the week Colin spent with Marilyn after
Arthur left the country.
I have to admit that I'm not at all
familiar with Marilyn's work. Sure, I can name some films she starred
in, but I've never watched any of them. I am aware of her status
as... well, to say an icon might be putting it too lightly. She's one
of the most well known people throughout history, with legions of
fans and people who want to emulate her (like Lindsay Lohan, which is
hilarious. That's like someone saying they want to be like Mr. Rogers
and then they go out and steal cars and vandalize property). But I
have to wonder if any of the people who want to BE Marilyn Monroe
actually knew anything about her as a person or if they just liked
what they saw on the big screen?
This film makes an attempt to let us
see Marilyn not as the blonde bombshell 24/7, but as someone who's
not even sure of who she is, because everyone has these pre-conceived
notions about her.
The first half of the film focuses more
on the production side of the film she's working on, and the legacy
built up around her. It is here that we're introduced to the
supporting cast, like Sybil Thorndike (Judi Dench, who I'm a fan of
and as for the person she's portraying, I liked her right from the
start. Always has a kind word for everybody, regardless of stature,
and has a sunny disposition. Just a wonderful person all up), Milton
H. Greene (Dominic Cooper, who would be the closest thing this film
has in the antagonist category if I was pressured to find one), Paula
Strasberg (Zoe Wanamaker, doing a really damn good American accent)
and Lucy (Emma Watson, who is lovely to see here but her role is
quite small).
The second half, however, is almost all
about Colin and Marilyn spending time together, as he is infatuated
with her and she has a confidante in him. While I do enjoy the first
half, it's the second half that really tries to let the audience know
what Marilyn was truly like. Vulnerable and confused, just wanting
someone to be around her for her, not what the press had built her up
as.
To that end, Michelle Williams delivers
an outstanding performance and it's easy to see why she was nominated
for an Oscar for the role. She doesn't make Marilyn into some giggly
blonde, which is so easy to do these days, and for that reason, she
is the key (along with the dialogue) to not only why this movie
works, but also to opening up a better view of Marilyn herself.
There is another movie about Marilyn
Monroe due in the next year or so, entitled Blonde. I suspect it will
be a more widespread biopic, and only time will tell if it will help
flesh out the idea of who Marilyn really was or play into the
stereotype. Until then, we have this lovely film. 3.5/5
(P.S, I'm not 100% if it is Michelle
singing or not, since it's not uncommon to dub in a voice if an actor
or actress isn't comfortable with their singing voice, but the song
we hear over the end credits is amazingly done, and I highly suggest
waiting it out until the song finishes).
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