My Week with Marilyn (2011) User Reviews

Candle in the Wind

[dharmendrasingh · 8/10 · 1 December 2011]

Marilyn Monroe, the quintessential blonde bombshell, came to Pinewood Studios in 1956 to shoot 'The Prince and the Showgirl', a light comedy directed by and starring Laurence Olivier. Colin Clark, the third assistant director on the film, was the lucky 23-year-old who got to spend a week with her. 'My Week with Marilyn' cinematises his diary.

I imagine there aren't many characters more difficult to play than Monroe. It must be like playing Elvis. But I'm delighted to confirm that Michelle Williams makes the impossible look easy. She has thrown herself into this part and has nailed the portrayal. Aside from the physical resemblance, Williams walks, talks and acts like Monroe. It's too early to say whether she'll win the Oscar next year, but a nomination seems a certainty.

Williams' performance is bolstered by impeccable turns by an enviable roster of the creamiest cream of British talent: Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, Zoë Wanamaker, Eddie Redmayne and Emma Watson. Especial mention must go to Branagh whose Olivier is impeccable. He accurately displays the legendary actor's sophistication and scurrility, and is bound to receive a supporting Oscar nod.

I loved the film's playfulness, for instance when Clark takes Monroe on a tour of Eton, followed by skinny-dipping in a cold river. The filmmakers do well to capture the craziness of Marilyn's world and the feeling of what it was like to be the most famous woman in the world. There are some lovely little touches – like the scene where Clark asks Monroe why she has a picture of Abe Lincoln by her bedside. Her reply, 'I don't know who my real father was, so why not him?'.

Eddie Redmayne, who has appeared in some big films ('The Good Shepherd', 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age') is well-cast as Colin Clark. Perhaps it's because he looks so much the underdog. He sort of represents every young man who would have killed to be in his shoes.

Clark has his eyes set on Monroe but resigns himself to the fact that Emma Watson's character, a costume assistant, is more his match. A weakness in the story, although I'm unclear of the veracity, is how underused Watson is and how readily she forgives his liaison with Monroe. Didn't girls have higher standards in those days?

Simon Curtis is yet another Englishman who has moved seamlessly from TV to cinema. His film astutely plays down the fact that Colin was brother to the even more famous Alan Clark, a former Conservative MP. Rightly so, I think. This film isn't about the minister or his also-famous diaries.

I'm glad the filmmakers didn't sacrifice the film's integrity by moulding it to be rated 12A (British certificate) to increase ticket sales. The two or three flashes of flesh are not only welcome, they are vital (Monroe said that 'the body is meant to be seen'). Curtis teases us like Marilyn was famous for doing. But he knows not to go too far by showing us any more than is necessary.

In summary, this is a brilliant biopic, as well as a story of what happened when a young man got close to the star he adored. It is bittersweet and evocative of a golden age of Hollywood. I was made to care for Monroe. I felt bad for her when she was exploited. Along with Elton John's beautiful song, this film has made me understand Norma Jeane Mortenson a little better. Now I see her as more than a sex symbol. She may have been blonde but she wasn't dumb. Dumb blondes don't read James Joyce or marry Arthur Miller, or come out with some of the wittiest lines a person can utter. She was like all of us, really: a human being.

www.moseleyb13.com

Michelle Williams Brings Marilyn Monore to the Life.

[saadgkhan · 7/10 · 5 March 2012]

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN – CATCH IT ( B+ ) A young Colin Clark remembers the time he has spend with Marilyn Monroe during the filming of "The Prince and the Showgirl". The movie is told through the eyes of Colin Clark and how he sees Marilyn and her estrange relationship with the director/actor Laurence Olivier. As the movie is only about some of days Colin Clark spends with Marilyn, we don't get to see the whole drama inside her life but I must commend Michelle Williams for her stellar portrayal of Marilyn because it's her performance that takes you deep into the mind of Marilyn rather than the script itself. Michelle Williams's hardcore study on her character shows in the movie and she deserved her Oscar nod. Eddie Redmayne is impressive as always but over the years I've noticed that Eddie is always good but never really leaves a strong impact. I've seen him several movies so far but he wasn't that memorable in them. Kenneth Branagh is simply superb. Julia Ormond and Dominic Cooper are alright in their parts. Emma Watson did a decent job out of Hermione, even it was a small role but it was defiantly good to see her spreading outside Harry Potter franchise. Overall, My Week with Marilyn is a good movie and Michelle Williams's performance is worth watching. Highly Recommended! P.S I would love to see Michelle Williams reprise her role as Marilyn Monroe in Marilyn's autobiography if Hollywood decides to make one.

On the most part, this is beguiling stuff

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 17 November 2016]

'My Week With Marilyn' had much going for it, considering the cast pedigree and the subject. It is always hard making biographical dramas of actresses known for their beauty or portraying the actresses themselves, as evidenced by the wildly variable executions of how well they come off or not.

Whether it is a completely truthful account of Marilyn Monroe's life at this chapter of her life or not was never going to cloud my judgement of how to rate and review 'My Week With Marilyn'. What mattered much more was how the film fared on its own two feet, and 'My Week With Marilyn' fares mostly very well and is beguiling stuff. Not one of the greatest biopics ever made (in a list that includes 'Amadeus' and 'The Elephant Man') but generally of the portrayals of actresses known for their classic beauty it's one of the better-faring ones.

By all means, there are flaws. The direction can be rather blandly workmanlike and there is too much of a heavy-footed feel that jars with the lightness of the material itself. The film has a tendency to drag in the more intimate scenes with Monroe and Clark, which does suffer from occasional disjointed-ness, some trite moments and lack of chemistry at times.

Julia Ormond is also badly miscast as Vivien Leigh, it is a very phoned in and indifferent performance that anybody not familiar with the actress herself but is aware of her reputation will question her appeal, she is also somewhat too healthy-looking (but also not beautiful enough) for a woman plagued with physical and mental health problems in her later years. To a lesser extent, Dominic Cooper struck me as too young and doesn't have much to do to really register.

However, 'My Week With Marilyn' looks wonderful. The production and costume design were among the most visually exquisite and evocatively designed of that year, the period is perfectly evoked that it's like you've been transported back in time and are actually there and it's a beautifully shot film (not as incredible of that for 'The Tree of Life' and 'Hugo' but close). The soundtrack brilliantly and beautifully captures the mood of the film, it's sensitively composed without being too low-key and never intrusive or too made for television. It's also evocative of the period.

Not everything in the script works, there are some trite and disjointed parts but they are far outweighed by the very thought-provoking, funny and sincere ones, it's fluff but very charming fluff. The storytelling drags occasionally, but is also very entertaining and heartfelt with the scenes with Monroe and Laurence Olivier being particularly intriguing and well done.

Ormond aside, the acting is very good. Michelle Williams allures and completely captivates as Monroe herself, blending a sultriness, childlike lust and a darker and more destructive nature seamlessly. She matched by Kenneth Branagh's spot-on Olivier, being hilarious, sympathetic and believable in his exasperation, Judi Dench's splendid Dame Sybil and Zoe Wanamaker's gleefully scene-stealing and wonderfully stern turn. Dougray Scott has been criticised by some, personally had little problem with him, and there is much more of a resemblance to him as Arthur Miller than Ormond as Leigh, other than his American accent being overdone.

Eddie Redmayne gives a very sensitive portrayal in a role deliberately not written as interestingly as the rest, as, despite being the film's heart, he is not the film's focus and was never intended to be as meaty as Monroe or Olivier.

On the most part, 'My Week With Marilyn' was very worthwhile and beguiling. Well worth the time, as long as watched as a film on its own two feet and not as a history lesson. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Carefully Crafted Historically

[kattegat · 7/10 · 13 December 2011]

"My Week with Marilyn" is entertaining and sufficiently well done to interest anyone who remembers her story. But those who have some exposure to the literature she has generated should be impressed by the way the film manages to represent so many of the very different views there are about her. Was she a smart, predatory woman in control of her persona and milking it for all she could get? The sad addicted victim of her handlers? An ordinary woman looking for love and happiness derailed by her own star quality? The movie represents all of these views and refuses to settle the question. The writer and director are to be congratulated for resisting the temptation to come down on a particular view.

Michelle Williams overcomes the low budget

[littlemartinarocena · 7/10 · 24 November 2011]

Remember "The Prince And The Showgirl"? I saw it for the first time only a few years ago, after the death of all the protagonists. The miracle, and it is indeed a miracle, Marilyn felt so alive, so contemporary. In "My Week With Marilyn" Michelle Williams is full of light, the real light, the internal one, while everyone else is deadly opaque. The film feels like a very low budget TV movie and not even the grand manors and colleges manage to give it the production value, the story deserved. But Michelle Williams is truly enchanting. Not that she is a dead ringer for the real Marilyn. So much more demure, smaller breasts, smaller behind, only her strange kind of melancholia seems to match the original one and some of that magic essence appears to be in place. Eddie Redmayne, the narrator, whose POV drives the story is rather a cool fish. His grasp is so limp and small that I was kept longing for more. Kenneth Brannagh is very funny and Judi Dench, terrific, but Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh is just so wrong one wants to fast-forward, unfortunately, that's impossible right now. But, let's go back to Michelle Williams, the one reason to see this film and in itself she's reason enough.

Eye-popping cinematic dreams turned into stale movie cliché

[chaos-rampant · 23 February 2012]

Here's the thing: knowing this is going to be about Marilyn, we expect certain things. Dazzling beauty exuding sex, insecure film star in search of the real person; perhaps some eye-popping excess about the business responsible for fabricating our dreams. And we expect these because Marilyn's story is Hollywood lore at its most pure: a pretty picture masking darkness of all sorts.

So because we already know that Marily was not just a sparkling movie star and because this is all so widely familiar and with its own widely referenced myth and iconography, the only reason to make this into a film is that you have come up with some unique angle that sheds new unexpected light into the thing. A structure that can hold together so many cinematic dreams implicit by having at the center this woman who gave flesh to them.

At least the premise is sound, if not remarkable. A young man has written a book about his short time together with her, and on a movie set. We trust that a lot of that is fictional and doctored, itself not far from a movie script. Ideally, our film has the option of conflating personal recollection, diary, rehearsal, film being made, into our film about the fabrication of myths and an actress looking to understand the real person behind the role she's given to play.

The first half holds. A breezy, sparkling, leisurely stroll around a movie set, as we like to imagine must have been everyday life around movie stars. We bask in the radiance of making movies and play-acting. What better life?

In the second half however we expect to know the other side of the idealized image. Sex as no longer delicious eye-candy but baring the soul naked.

What do we get instead? That same stereotyped image attached to a score of movie clichés: tabloid proclamations, banality, hackneyed emotion diffused into TV soap. We know that Marilyn and this world was more complex than this. Gentlemen preferred the blonde for a reason and the film does not even begin to understand why.

Blonds Have More Trouble.

[rmax304823 · 6/10 · 26 August 2013]

Michelle Williams as Monroe comes to England to work on "The Prince and the Showgirl" with Kenneth Branagh as Lawrence Olivier. The film is based on a book by Colin Clark, which documents the difficulties in the professional and personal lives of the stars.

Clark himself is played by Eddie Redmayne, as the third AD, who looks suitably wide-eyed and young. Although he's 24 and Monroe is 30, she takes a shine to him and they spend some private time together, during which he finds himself in her thrall and she treats him as a friend whose hand she can hold during the impact period of the whirlwind she's caught up in. If he was intimate with her, Clark is too discreet to disclose it.

So two of the three principals must be imitations of people whose appearance and demeanor we're already familiar with. Williams does very well by the character. She doesn't look much more like Monroe than any of the other actresses who have imitated her, including Monroe herself, but she has an appeal all her own. She's soft and downy. In each scene, she may screw things up and leave them in unimaginable disorder, but she's slow and deliberate. She doesn't really get across the fact that Monroe was a nervous wreck. She probably fits roughly into the APA's category of "histrionic personality disorder." Her mother wound up in a psychiatric hospital, a bad omen for the kids. Williams' Monroe is often distressed and full of self doubt, but she's never frenzied.

Branagh's impression of Olivier is a hoot. He looks like he's getting a big kick out of doing Lord Olivier's imperious attitudes and his clumsy attempts at foreign dialects -- all of which sounded much alike, only variants of a go-anywhere accent, seeming to emanate from somewhere in Mitteleuropa. Olivier was having serious problems at the time with his wife, Vivian Leigh, who was also psychotic, but that appears to be thrown into the story as an item of gossip. It's amusing to see Branagh looking into the mirror and reciting Shakespeare's lines, then being interrupted to deal with an actress who cannot remember -- or refuses to remember -- to add a simple word ("too") to a single brief line of dialog. Olivier wants to get the job done, while Monroe searched for "the character." It's hilarious to see him stomping around making wisecracks about Monroe not showing up on time again while she's at home busily trying to kill herself.

In many ways, the most interesting role is that of Paula Strasberg, played by Zoe Wanamaker, with her hair severely pulled back to emphasize her strong jaw. The real Strasberg wasn't nearly so grim looking. She and her husband, Lee, ran the highly regarded Actor's Studio in New York. Then Marilyn Monroe showed up and Paula and Lee recognized a bonanza when they saw one. Paula latched on to Monroe as coach and confidante. "All my life I've prayed to God to give me a great actress -- and He's given me YOU." Monroe was reluctant to make a move or say a line without Paula at her shoulder. When Monroe had trouble with a line, claiming she didn't know the motivation and so forth, the pragmatic Olivier advises her to act as if she did, and just read the words. And Paula slips in a response: "The words are in the script but not the character." It was driving Olivier nuts.

Anyway, it's kind of fun. The film strikes me as more comic than tragic, and I'm not sure it wasn't meant to be amusing. It's a sympathetic portrait of Marilyn Monroe, but what else could you expect from an inexperienced young Englishman who groveled at the feet of the most famous movie star in the world?

The best portrayal of Marilyn Monroe to date.

[briannaweitzman · 10/10 · 11 October 2011]

I attended an advance screening of "My Week With Marilyn," and much to my surprise, was absolutely blown away. I was initially very reluctant to accept Michelle Williams as Marilyn, one of the most beautiful and glamorous women of all time, but she was extraordinary - luminous, even. She pulled off the role seamlessly, and turned Ms. Monroe into a layered, complex character, rather than the sex-kitten caricature we are all so used to seeing. Michelle managed to show us the real Marilyn - the woman who so desperately wanted to be loved, to be accepted, to be good at her job. The vulnerability, the mannerisms, the voice - all were pitch perfect. I have no doubt there will be yet another Oscar nomination in Michelle Williams' near-future.

I was also very impressed by Eddie Redmayne, who's character was arguably the heart of the film. He was excellent as the star-struck yet sensitive Colin Clark, who helped Marilyn through her very difficult time on the set of "The Prince and the Showgirl." This was definitely a star-making turn for Eddie - I expect we'll be seeing much more of him.

The movie is similar in tone to "The King's Speech," and was helped by a beautiful score and wonderful costumes. Director Simon Curtis, who devoted eight years of his life to this project, did a wonderful job capturing the essence of 1950's England. The wardrobe department deserves a nomination, as do the writers. Kenneth Branagh was superb as Laurence Olivier, as was the great Judi Dench as Dame Sybil.

All in all, one of the best films I've seen this year, and definitely the best (not to mention most authentic) portrayal of Marilyn ever to hit the silver screen. I couldn't have been more impressed.

Facsimile minus star quality

[PipAndSqueak · 7/10 · 26 November 2011]

Michelle Williams makes a great attempt at capturing the essence of the magnetic Marilyn. There are moments when you could imagine it was the real thing - unfortunately, they are fleeting moments. Monroe was a complex figure and the portrayal here attempts to address it - not necessarily successfully. Kenneth Branagh too gives a top class performance - believable, but not quite as waspish as I imagine Olivier was in real life. It was Monroe's ability to play to an audience - specifically to play to the lens of a camera that is absent in this movie biopic. This production could have been about any actress - not one who truly was exceptional. Nevertheless, a fair attempt at depicting a real story.

Remarkable Performance!

[jimbecker1956 · 9/10 · 12 October 2011]

I just saw this film at the Mill Valley Film Festival and was pretty much blown away. My expectations were low and the very beginning of the film seemed to bear that out. Seeing well-known actors playing very well-known actors can take a little getting used to. But both Kenneth Branagh and Michelle Williams did admirable jobs. Michelle was a revelation. She completely inhabited the role of Marilyn in all of her complexity: her vulnerability, her guile, her sweetness, and her insecurity. This is one of the few performances I've seen where I would say someone is a lock for the Oscar. But this is not only a tour-de-force of acting. It is also a compelling and well-told story of the making of a film and of the competing personalities and agendas involved. Eddie Redmayne was wonderful as Colin, the narrator and main character of the story. Judi Dench was her wonderful, wise self. The cast was filled with wonderful character actors who seemed familiar and comfortable. My brother and I agreed that this was a better film than A King's Speech so on that basis alone it should win Best Picture. At the very least, it was an very entertaining and moving night at the movies.

Not the Oscar Performance I Expected It To Be

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 3 April 2012]

Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), an employee of Sir Laurence Olivier's, documents the tense interaction between Olivier and Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) during production of "The Prince and the Showgirl".

I must say up front that I was thoroughly disappointed by this film. I was not expecting an unforgettable experience, but it just was not anything special. Even Michelle Williams, who was nominated for best actress, was not as great I thought she could be. (Her performance in "Blue Valentine" far exceeded her job here.)

If I can say anything good about this film (and it is not a bad movie, just not a great one) it would be how it showed the tragic life of Marilyn Monroe. Unable to commit to men, unable to act or be seen as anything other than sexy... and the pills. Monroe was not an actress to be emulated, and her becoming an icon is unfortunate.

Good Movie- Nice Period Piece

[chickenlittle-309-990263 · 8/10 · 8 March 2012]

I liked this movie, it was a non-judgemental re-telling of a slice of history. I thought the performances were all very good by the leading characters. I have no idea what the real Marilyn was like and I don't think many people do, but Michelle Williams character is a more than plausible interpretation, vulnerable at times, manipulative at others, who really knows where the reality lies, but there was something for everyone's interpretation. The movie did a good job of depicting that moment in time and transporting the audience there for a couple of hours. I guess it is every man's fantasy to have this opportunity, so the story is a satisfying one for any man who has ever wondered what the real Marilyn may have been like.

Williams shines

[claudiaeilcinema · 5/10 · 24 November 2011]

Michelle Williams achieves the impossible. We believe she's Marilyn! Judi Dench is a hoot as Dame Sibyl Thorndike and Kenneth Brannagh has his moments. But the rest...Oh dear, Oh dear. Who though of Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh!? and Eddie Redmeyer, he's a good actor, I've seen him on stage, but here he is a hole on the screen. He doesn't project anything that could possibly touch us. I remember loving "The Prince And The Showgirl" and thinking how remarkable Marilyn was. With the benefit of hindsight she had managed to keep her performance as fresh as timeless as a real work of art. While Olivier, the"actor" of his generation seems stilted and dated. My week with Marilyn misses the mark, big time but Michelle Williams performance makes it a must.

Stupid, false, and badly miscast

[jm10701 · 27 August 2014]

This movie would have been better if they had made it about a fictional actress based on Monroe instead of about Monroe herself.

The Goddess, filmed during Monroe's lifetime (around the time this movie is set, in fact) couldn't have used her name, and it's much the better for that constraint. The Goddess doesn't constantly force us to compare Kim Stanley's fantastic performance with the real Marilyn Monroe, because it doesn't constantly CALL her Marilyn Monroe. My Week with Marilyn doesn't give us that freedom, the freedom to appreciate Michelle Williams's performance on its own merits rather than as an impersonation of a much more charismatic and distinctive star than she is herself.

Viewers more familiar with Williams than with Monroe can rave about this performance, because they're not comparing it to anything. To them, Monroe is just a dizzy blonde standing over a subway grate with her skirt billowing up around her, and Williams plays THAT role as well as anyone else could. But she can't for one second deceive anybody who has experienced Monroe (seeing her is only part of the delight) in more than one scene from one movie.

Half of Monroe's power as a performer is in her face, one of the most beautiful and naturally expressive faces God ever made, and that's why NO actress can EVER successfully play her. No one else has that face.

Using a fictitious name would also have relieved them of having to portray the insufferably shallow and narcissistic Laurence Olivier, the most overrated actor who ever lived. I realize that they based this movie on Colin Clark's highly dubious and self-aggrandizing "memoirs" of his brief contact with Monroe, and therefore had some justification for their choices, but that was a mistake.

One of many mistakes. Worst: the stupid screenplay, which treated Clark's adolescent fantasy as truth and made it even more ludicrous than it already was. Second: the hackneyed direction that makes a story about interesting and real people seem as false as a soap opera. Third: the miscasting of every role in the movie.

Although the most egregiously miscast are Dougray Scott as Arthur Miller, Dominic Cooper as Milton Greene, and plodding Julia Ormond as ethereal Vivien Leigh, NONE of the actors convincingly portray the real persons they are supposed to be. Even Judi Dench is maudlin and icky as the decidedly UN-maudlin and UN-icky Sybil Torndike. I suppose Branagh is sufficiently pretentious and boring as Olivier, but the movie would have been better without that character.

The one good thing about this movie is that it calls attention to Marilyn Monroe. If it had motivated even one person who'd never done so to watch her movies, it would have been worthwhile.

Williams and Branaugh make this worth watching

[Gideon24 · 7/10 · 16 December 2015]

Despite a fact-based story that strains credibility, an insightful look at the cinematic phenomena that was Marilyn Monroe makes the 2011 docudrama My Week with Marilyn worth watching.

This film centers on an aspiring English show biz hopeful named Colin Clark who has been hired to be the Third Assistant Director to Sir Laurence Olivier during production of the film The Prince and the Showgirl and how Colin inexplicably becomes the only person that Marilyn trusts on the set of the film, and that includes her acting coach Paula Strasberg, who was a permanent fixture in Marilyn's life during this period.

Director Simon Curtis has mounted an expensive, fact-based drama that so accurately brings to the screen the mania behind Marilyn and though it provides some mixed messages regarding the woman vs the myth, the messages are convincingly projected here. We always think that there's nothing new to learn about Marilyn at this point and this film doesn't really provide any new insight into the sex symbol, except for the possible fact that like a lot Marilyn's handlers, Marilyn was also aware that Marilyn Monroe was a "product" and that she was somebody else...someone else who whose deep-rooted sadness stemmed from the lack of strong parenting and that the feeling no one really loved her, including current spouse Arthur Miller.

As expected with any film about Marilyn, the film documents the production schedule delays due to Marilyn's chronic lateness, the constant interference from Paula Strasberg, the inability to remember very simple lines, and best of all, Olivier's conflicted feelings about his leading lady...we see Olivier's aggravation with the actress' work ethic combined with his fascination with the woman who makes him feel young again and has wife Vivien Leigh more than concerned. I love the scene of Olivier sitting alone in a screening room being captivated by dailies of Marilyn. What I did find hard to believe here is that a movie star like Marilyn Monroe would become so completely enamored of a Third Assistant Director that she would forsake everyone else around her, including Olivier, Paula, and Arthur Miller.

The film is well-cast with a nicely understated performance from Eddie Redmayne as Colin Clark, a young man who falls under the spell of Marilyn without even realizing it is happening. Kenneth Branaugh is charismatic as Laurence Olivier and mention should also be made of Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh and a lovely turn from Dame Judi Dench as Dame Sybil Thorndyke, a co-star of The Prince and the Showgirl, who becomes Marilyn's onset Savior, but what this film has above everything else is a luminous, Oscar-nominated performance by Michelle Williams as Marilyn, a richly complex performance that nails Marilyn's vulnerability, insecurity, and best of all, her intelligence.

The film boasts some impressive production values, including first rate cinematography and a lush music score and helps to make this film lovely to look at...along with the incredible Michelle Williams.

a treat all around

[mukava991 · 7/10 · 11 December 2011]

"My Week with Marilyn" is a skillfully presented close look at what previously had been a moderately interesting episode in the lives of the two well-known performers: Marilyn Monroe and Sir Laurence Olivier. Like "The King's Speech" of the previous year, it is accomplished from every angle but hinges on an inspired impersonation at the center: Colin Firth as King George VI in "Speech" and Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe in "Week." Williams nails Monroe as well as anyone could. Although she is no lookalike, she comes close enough so that with careful breathing and enunciation she can approximate the original. Williams is not yet familiar enough (or distinctive enough) to general audiences to have established her own indelible screen persona, so she is easily acceptable as the Monroe character, who at one point reveals that when her lovers discover she is not really "Marilyn," they fall out of love with her. She not only acts "Marilyn Monroe," but, fulfilling the intentions of the screenplay, gives us Norma Jean Baker acting Monroe for the star-hungry masses.

There are several levels to this exploration of not only a person, but a whole group of people at high positions in the acting profession at a time of transition from one style of acting to another, as illustrated by the team that gathered for the production of "The Prince and the Showgirl" back in 1956. Kenneth Branagh equally nails Sir Laurence Olivier, the director and male lead in that undertaking, he who pronounced "motion pictures" as "MO-syon PIC- tyoors." Supporting actress Dame Sybil Thorndike, who in 1956 was a venerable institution of the British theatre, is played, appropriately enough, by that contemporary venerable institution of British theatre and international film Dame Judi Dench, who appears in one film after another these days. Emma Watson, Dominic Cooper and other fine actors do what they can in subsidiary roles but they never steal attention from the two leads. Eddie Redmayne, as the innocent young man whose first job in the film industry is to act as go-between for Monroe and the power players of the production, projects the proper insecurity and fascination with the task at hand. Julia Ormond doesn't quite inhabit Vivien Leigh, who was entering middle-age when "Showgirl" was being filmed; her shift in tone from sweet, warm, supportive friendliness to jealousy-tinged fear and insecurity seems too abrupt, but that sudden shift is the result of editing or incomplete script writing.

It's an insider's film, really – one that will appeal mostly to those who know a lot about Hollywood history or who have some connection with the acting profession.

Marilyn was extraordinary. This movie is not.

[rubenm · 6/10 · 15 March 2012]

Marilyn Monroe was, in many ways, extraordinary. So you'd expect a movie about her to be that as well: extraordinary. Unfortunately, My Week With Marilyn isn't. It's decent, nice, entertaining. But not, like Marilyn, gorgeous, spectacular and exuberant.

The story about a nobody who gets to be Marilyn Monroe's pal during the making of her movie The Prince and the Showgirl is interesting enough. And Michelle Williams does a terrific job playing Marilyn: at the same time uncertain about her acting capabilities, self-conscious about her looks, and terribly difficult to work with. The confrontation between the whimsical Miss Monroe and the stiff-upper-lipped Sir Laurence Olivier is absolutely wonderful.

But there is something missing in the movie. Something to spice it up a bit. It's a bit too clean, too sweet, too pleasant. There are no sharp edges, no unexpected twists, no parts that make you sit on the edge of your seat. I had a good time watching it, but it's not a movie that stands out.

Best Marilyn portrait ever

[HotToastyRag · 10/10 · 23 February 2021]

I'll never forget seeing My Week with Marilyn in the movie theaters with my mom. It was the weekend before the Academy Awards, and our local theater brought back a few Oscar contenders for audiences to see before the magical event. That weekend, we watched Albert Nobbs, The Artist, The Descendants, and My Week with Marilyn.

While it would be a slight exaggeration to say I forgot it was Michelle Williams pretending to be Marilyn Monroe, she gave the most convincing portrayal I've ever seen. And I've seen every Marilyn biopic I could get my hands on! Giving an imitation is far different than completely embodying the person, and she truly understood the flaws within and the motivation behind the troubled icon.

As you'll learn from the film, Marilyn was not a woman who should have been put in front of a camera and told to impress the world; she certainly should not have been filled with the praise and pressure of Lee and Paula Strasberg's method. "You are the greatest actress who has ever lived," says Paula (played expertly by Zoe Wanamaker) while "coaching" Marilyn between takes. Marilyn Monroe should have lived a quiet, normal life. Her temperament and her insecurities should have been kept as dormant as possible. By being turned into an international sex symbol, she felt pressure, power, and expectation - none of which she had the tools to fulfill.

Some of her greatest tools were her cunningness and manipulation - something most biographies fail to capture. Marilyn is so often painted out to be a victim with no participation in her plight. This film is different. As you watch Michelle Williams interact with the other characters, you can see her observing what will charm and endear different people to her. Will they need compliments? Will they need a "little girl lost" to rescue? In a fantastic, brief scene, she and Eddie Redmayne are taking a tour of Windsor Castle. Derek Jacobi, the librarian, shows her an ancient book. While she praises his knowledge, she stares at him intently to make sure her compliment is having its desired effect. When he falls under her spell, you can actually feel her elation. She feels powerful and in control, and a little superior because she's planned out the interaction. Hidden moments, brief flashes of what's truly going through her mind, are why Michelle Williams gave an incredible performance, and why sometimes you will forget you're watching a 2012 film instead of secret footage stashed away from 1956.

The story itself of My Week with Marilyn is a bit of a letdown. With all the material available about Marilyn Monroe's very dramatic life, Hollywood chose to capture the filming of a movie most people today haven't even heard of, let alone seen. If this were about the filming of Some Like It Hot, or even The Misfits, I'd understand the allure. No offense, but has anyone under the age of sixty even seen The Prince and the Showgirl? Add on the fact that the lead character of My Week with Marilyn is a hotshot kid that nobody cares about (sorry, Eddie Redmayne), and you've got a gamble as to whether or not anyone will even like the movie. Thankfully, there's Kenneth Branagh.

In an adorable casting choice (and let's all forget he wasn't the first choice), since he's been compared to him so often over the years, Sir Kenneth Branagh plays Sir Laurence Olivier. His energy is hilarious as he's driven crazy by his leading lady's tardiness and moronic behavior on the set. It's a wonder he didn't strangle her. And, as I've always said, it's a wonder Marilyn continued to have a career. Box office draw or not, her behavior was inexcusable, unprofessional, and calculated. Yes, I said it. I agree 100% with Kenneth Branagh - or should I say Laurence Olivier: "I wouldn't buy that 'little girl lost' act if I were you. I think Marilyn knows exactly what she's doing!" From completely nailing the physicality and peculiar way of talking to embodying the spirit of the Shakespearean legend, Sir Kenneth becomes Sir Laurence. One of my favorite moments is when he spits into his mascara want and rakes it angrily over his eyebrows in the mirror. Marilyn is hours late to the set and he wishes he'd never started filming in the first place; he could have easily had his makeup artist do the touch-up, but he's so mad, this is his one act of revenge he can get away with. Marilyn has an entourage and wouldn't dream of touching up her own makeup. Sir Laurence is a professional. He can put on his own mascara.

Judi Dench is sweet and kind-hearted as Dame Sybil Thorndike. She stands up for Marilyn, tactfully covers up for her blatant errors, and thoughtfully brings the third assistant director a scarf because he looks cold. Not many actresses are so sweet. Dominic Cooper plays Marilyn's photographer Milton Greene (I actually have a book of his photographs), and he serves as a cautionary tale to Redmayne. Emma Watson plays a costume assistant who also cautions Eddie against investing his heart in the blonde bombshell. Julia Ormond plays the mentally fragile Vivien Leigh, and Dougray Scott briefly plays a far better-looking version of Arthur Miller. You'll also see the familiar faces of Toby Jones, Jim Carter, and Philip Jackson (remember Chief Inspector Japp from the Poirot series?).

I love Simon Curtis's directing style of this movie. He takes great care to film with sweeping movements, not in the jittery handheld style of today. The costumes and colors aren't oversaturated but instead feel like we've looked in on one of Milton Greene's photobooks. Alexandre Desplat's piano score feels lush, like old Elmer Bernstein love themes. Intimate without feeling muted, glamorous without looking glitzy, charming without feeling fake, this offers a rare, realistic portrait of Marilyn Monroe.

Light, Fluffy, something darker needed...

[tim-764-291856 · 7/10 · 10 October 2012]

I was really looking forward to this double Oscar-nominated (Kenneth Branagh as Laurence Olivier and Michelle Williams as the titular Marilyn Monroe) movie to come up on Sky Movies premier.

Great expectations can hurt a film and I was underwhelmed by the overall softness and lightness of it all, undoubtedly making it more a film for the masses than getting to grips with its subject.

A re-watch shortly after allowed one to soak up the good points it does have - mainly the cast. Branagh is surprisingly effective as Olivier and actually looks somewhat like him, too. He also gets to carry the some of the smartest and funniest dialogue, as he knows he can get away with anything. He shares that mantle with Brit Toby Jones, here a typical Yank, full of every delightful stereotype that one might conjure of a well- fed, rude Hollywood producer finding England everything he ever dreaded.

Indeed, there's a plethora of British acting faces, plus a welcome role for ex Harry Potter star Emma Watson - good to see her on the path to adult roles and that transition from Potter, plus everyone's favourite Judi Dench.

What struck me initially was the meek blandness of the young man who befriends Marilyn and thus the narrator, of sorts - Colin Clark, played by Eddie Redmayne, but of course, this is all part of the story and no doubt exactly how he ever did find himself in the position he did. Monroe felt safe with him and in his company.

Michelle Williams, whilst ticking most of the boxes, failed to reach me however, which might have been improved had I seen the film at the cinema and I'm never left in any doubt that this is not Monroe, just someone doing quite well at playing her. I might have been asking too much, but this lack of intensity and connectivity helped lose a couple of points, for me.

There's lots of nostalgic peeks behind the shooting of the film that Marilyn has come over to make and star in, The Prince and the Showgirl at Pinewood studios, where this film was actually made, too! Plus, many sightseeing excursions around some of this country's finer big houses, including Windsor Castle.

So, it's a good film, well done and one that can be seen again, with enough familiar stars and locations to keep it fizzing away nicely. But, sadly, at least for me, no classic.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this one....

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 29 January 2012]

I never really had much interest in seeing this movie. I am not a person who thinks Marilyn Monroe is one of the greatest actresses of all time, and I ASSUMED the film was some sort of tribute to her. However, this really isn't what the film turned out to be. While it did have to do with the actress, it was not some sort of schmaltzy bio-pic--it had meat to it. And, incidentally, some darn fine acting.

The movie is specifically about the production of the movie "The Prince and the Showgirl". The star/director, Laurence Olivier, did NOT like working with Monroe and found her very temperamental and unprofessional--and he voiced great regret for having done the movie with her. This isn't in the film--this is part of movie history (some of which can be found in the IMDb trivia for that film). However, what "My Week With Marilyn" helps the viewer to understand is what was occurring and why. While Marilyn was a mess and slowed production to a crawl, you see in the film is isn't because of any malevolence on her part--just a lot of baggage, insecurity and mental illness. I never particularly cared about her before--but as I watched Michelle Williams play her, I found myself on the verge of tears several times--she was a very gifted but sadly damaged young lady.

What I liked about the film was just about everything. I loved the colors chosen for the film--lots of muted colors (such as khaki) to give it a 1950s look. I loved the interesting script based on Colin Clark's book. I particularly the acting--Williams and Kenneth Branagh (as Olivier) were exceptional---such that I soon forgot that they were not the actual actors. Marvelous and I particularly am pulling for Williams with her Best Actress nomination--she was just dynamite. Well worth seeing--particularly for folks like me who are classic movie fans and have seen "The Prince and the Showgirl".

That's no Badger, Sir.

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 1 December 2011]

Greetings again from the darkness. I was initially a bit ambivalent about seeing a movie about Marilyn Monroe making a movie. My twisted thinking was that I have already seen the actual film "The Prince and the Showgirl", and this particular story is based on a book by Colin Clark who claims to have had a connection/fling with Marilyn during the production phase of the film. Since I had always doubted Clark's claim, it wasn't until early reviews of Michelle Williams' performance hit Twitter that I started to get interested.

For an actor, playing Marilyn Monroe must be similar to playing Elvis. Everyone on earth knows what the real deal looks and sounds like. What is interesting about this film is that it is chock-full of actors playing well known people. In addition to Williams/Monroe, we get Eddie Redmayne as Colin, Kenneth Branagh as Sir Lawrence Olivier, Julia Ormond as Vivia Leigh (Olivier's wife), Toby Jones as Arthur Jacobs, Dominic Cooper as Milton Greene, Karl Moffat as DP Jack Cardiff, Dame Judi Dench playing Dame Sybil Thorndyke, Zoe Wannamaker playing Paula Strasberg, and Dougray Scott as Arthur Miller (the famous writer and Monroe's husband at the time).

Michelle Williams dominates the film just as Monroe would have. She mimics the iconic movements, but best succeeds in capturing the essence of Marilyn. History states that Olivier was very impatient with Marilyn and struggled with her irregular schedule and "method" approach to acting (which he abhorred). It is little wonder that Marilyn struggled so with her first and only film outside of the U.S. Many have an image of Ms. Monroe as a ditsy blonde, but there are a couple of well-documented autobiographies that show a pretty shrewd business person and one very aware of her marketable and valuable public image.

As for the film, it rates a couple of ticks higher thanks to the outstanding performances of both Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh. If not for them, it would be little more than a TV movie. Speaking of, this is the first feature film for director Simon Curtis, whose previous work has been seen on television. Personally, I would have preferred a movie that focused on the making of "The Prince and the Showgirl" or a view of the human side of Marilyn. Here, we get a shortage of each.

Michelle Williams shines as Ms. Monroe in My Week with Marilyn

[tavm · 9/10 · 24 May 2012]

Just watched this movie-an account by Colin Clark about his experiences with Marilyn Monroe while she was making The Prince and the Showgirl in England with director and co-star Sir Laurence Olivier-on Netflix disc with my mom. Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) tells about his initial film experience as 3rd assistant director working for Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) and seeing to it that Ms. Monroe (Michelle Williams) gets comfortable in her new surroundings. There's plenty of friction between Olivier and Ms. Monroe concerning the latter's tardiness and her taking her acting teacher Paula Strasberg (Zoe Wanamaker) more seriously than him. So when she takes a shine to Clark, he makes sure she gets whatever pleasure she can out of the experience which contributes to his pleasure as well. I found the whole thing quite wonderful in period detail and in trying to get into the skin of these legendary stars and the people that surrounded them. I think Ms. Williams deserved her Oscar nomination she got for this role. Same for Branagh. In summary, My Week with Marilyn is a film buff's treat.

Michelle Williams does a superb job

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 26 April 2014]

This movie recounts the pairing of Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) and Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) through the eyes of newbie Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne). It's 1956 and Olivier is making 'The Prince and the Showgirl' with his own production company. He has gotten the biggest star on the planet but her insecurities threaten the production at every turn. Colin Clark is 23 from a well-to-do family and siblings who excel. He's the black sheep and wants to be in the film business. Through perseverance, he gets his first job as the third assistant director which is basically the bottom rung in the crew. He befriends Monroe and becomes the only one who could truly connect with her.

The story is somewhat fascinating for film buffs and Monroe fans. I don't know if the target audience goes much further than that. Michelle Williams fans can take heart in her performance. She really turns it on at times. When Monroe shows Clark her facade, she's basically playing two characters at the same time. Like the 1957 movie, the Monroe character overshadows this movie. It puts into doubt why anybody cares about Colin Clark. A straight Monroe movie may even be better. The movie does capture how powerful her image is at the time and her struggle with nerves.

Disappointed

[Mayesgwtw39 · 5/10 · 24 November 2011]

I had really looked forward to seeing this and was prepared to be knocked out by Michelle Williams.

She remains a terrific favorite of mine as modern actresses go, but there were some essential things that either she or the director got wrong.

Mainly she misses the bigger-than-life aura that movie stars have to have. Her gritty indie acting is terrific and she works hard to get the emotions and make a real character. She goes for all of that in this role, but the script is so expository and contrived (with bits and pieces from other sources that are thrown in to make sure we get it).

Her radiance seems so dim in comparison to what Monroe could truly turn on. The stark contrast between the giggles and the tears was never convincing via Williams. The wallowing, self-pitying Marilyn with a streak of manipulation comes off just okay, but becomes tedious with the repetitive and slow script. In the scenes where she is being lionized by fans, her consumption of the adulation is a poor shadow show.

Branagh is terrific. Dench dynamite as Dame Sybil. But the pace and heaviness of the direction diminish their efforts. And why would Olivier be mouthing dialogue from "The Entertainer" during the making of "Prince and the Showgirl" (The "dead behind these eyes" bit)? The filmmakers really underestimate the audience. The actors playing Milton Greene and Arthur Miller make such wretched attempts at American accents, that I won't even call them out by name.

Now to Julia Ormond. Phoned in. She's not central to the story and makes rare appearances, but again, lacks the movie star command that Vivien Leigh knew precisely. When she walks in for a visit on the set, she doesn't bring the inner radiance that makes everyone treat her like royalty--a hallmark trait of Vivien Leigh. Additionally, her final confrontation with Olivier lacked the meanness and anger and resentment that Leigh had become used to verbally stabbing poor Larry with.

It is to appreciate that someone takes these acting icons and tries to show us real people--but to not direct them to give us the spark that makes these stars interesting even still, is inexcusable and, ultimately, dull filmmaking.

In the end, what could have been a delicious look into the paper persons of icons, becomes a meandering and shallow exercise in pointlessness.

Dull

[jpsea99 · 17 November 2011]

Saw pre-release screening. Never believed that Michelle Williams was Marilyn, which was distracting, always looked like she was an actress portraying Marilyn. The subtext of a woman whose main attribute is her sexuality, who only achieves based on her attraction to men, is sublimated to endlessly dull scenes of a vapid actress trying to recite lines on a movie set, with some lackluster comic relief tacked on gratuitously.

Eddie Redmayne was really good, and he should be someone to keep an eye on. But this film never seems to get going--any film based on MM's life should be sexy, shouldn't it? The end just kind of dumps onto the screen because there is no place else to go. Should have been a lot better, maybe they can tighten it up with some editing.