My Week With Marilyn

LOVEFiLM Review My Week With Marilyn

•  

  By Tom Charity from LOVEFiLM

  The film is by no means perfect, but Michelle Williams' Marilyn Monroe is a sure thing come awards season.

  • Was this review helpful to you?
  • (0) Yes |
  •  No (0)

  Report this review

Most helpful review My Week With Marilyn

• Engaging, funny, superbly acted and a beautiful snapshot of a Hollywood Goddess

   

  By TheyCallMeMrGlass (42 reviews) from London , 20 Jan 2012

  [Highly rated reviewer]

  I just caught this film on its final leg in the cinemas. So glad I did as this turned out to be a wonderful and strangely uplifting drama, despite the ultimate tragedy that would eventually befall Marilyn.
  
  The performances from the main leads are splendid but Michelle Williams is a knockout. She has done an astonishing job of not just embodying the complexity and mystique of the most glamorous star the world has ever known but she also imitates the nuances and body language of Marilyn superbly. She deserves at least a nomination for this.
  
  I have been awestruck by the real Monroe ever since I saw her for the first time in Some Like it Hot, so I can completely believe that men have literally fallen under her spell, tainting their solid relationships with their wives/girlfriends by 'fatefully' crossing her path. That's what this film is about really, giving two examples simultaneously in a 1 week snapshot during the making of The Prince and The Showgirl in 1957. The first example is Sir Laurence Olivier played brilliantly by Brannagh who has already fallen 'victim' to Marilyn's mesmeric beauty and charm but now becomes frustrated with her 'method' acting and punctuality, feeling out of her league and ultimately not being able to seduce her. The other 'victim' is a young upstarter ambitious film assistant who is succumbing to her spell and finds himself deeply intimate with her (the film is told from his point of view).
  
  The film also touches on what would eventually be the Marilyn's tragic end but thats not the main story being told here.
  
  Judi Dench lends her usual gravitas, delightfully soaking up the very few scenes she is given, even though she seems to play the same role in every film these days (even as M), she's always enjoyable to watch. Emma Watson plays a short role as a passing love interest and is lovely in the role but this is a comfort zone for her as the role is not too much of a departure from her 'Hermione'.
  
  Overall, this is very engaging, funny and a beautifully made drama.

  • Was this review helpful to you?
  • (21) Yes |
  •  No (7)

  Report this review

All reviews