Review of My Week with Marilyn (2011) by John R P — 06 May 2012

Very nicely done story telling about a movie icon. It matters not if it was true; it's good. The challenge, in my view, with making a movie depicting one of the most written about and gossiped about movie star of her time is that you're going to have to live up to very broad expectations; the ratings and awards this movie has garnished is testament to the production doing just that, and in particular Michelle Williams proving she deserved her nomination. I have seen several movies with Marilyn Monroe, but not "The Prince and the Showgirl", nor have I read the Colin Clark book on which "My Week With Marilyn" was based; my expectation was that I might not find the movie would live up to all the praise. I enjoyed it far more than I thought I would.

Michelle Williams was completely convincing and Kenneth Branagh, who played the role of Sir Laurence Olivier, delivered a performance that revealed a side of the renowned actor I knew nothing about; if that alone does not do it for you, the rest of the movie and the cast won't convince you. That cast, by the way was quite the ensemble.

The story, true or not in content, was not over the top as one might have expected, and given it tackles the persona that was Marilyn, it is a pleasant outcome. The director smartly avoided the temptation to sensationalize the depiction, in my view. If you don't care to see the story of a movie icon, a legend, don't watch it; if on the other hand you're open to a good character development work, this movie is worth seeing.