Review of My Week with Marilyn (2011) by Harry W — 02 May 2014

Playing Marilyn Monroe is a very challenging step for any actress, but since I think Michelle Williams is an excellent actress I was more than happy to see her in the role.

Marilyn Monroe is a figure that a lot of people look towards as a role model because her body shape makes her considered one of the most of the most beautiful women of all time even though she doesn't have a body as thin as today's media's ridiculous expectations. Yet she was also a serious drug addict who had an affair with the President of the United States. So a film like My Week with Marilyn would be interesting so that it would expose the true nature of her to viewers. While it doesn't precisely go into depth about Marilyn Monroe as much as it should and struggles to expose the underside of her life such as her battle with drug addition, it doesn't skimp on revealing her insecurities as an actress and as a woman who faces intense media scrutiny as a sex symbol. It reveals some parts to her that audiences might not have known about while forgetting about others, so depending on what you're expecting when going in to My Week With Marilyn, it may or may not have the answers you are looking for. It had some of mine, but not as many of them as I hoped.

But still, My Week With Marilyn is an interesting feature. As it's story is limited to a brief time period which emphasises the nature of its titular character Marilyn Monroe which it does mainly through the actors, but it also requires Adrian Hodges' screenplay to keep it intelligent and the direction of Simon Curtis so that it has dramatic support. Thanks to that as well as the atmospheric musical score of Conrad Pope and Alexandre Desplat, the dramatic nature of My Week With Marilyn is harnessed and maximises on its potential without attempting to break its boundaries and go deeper. Some may find that the film plays it a little bit safe by doing this, but it still pulls it off well enough. And it does it stylishly by using lush production design and beautiful scenery to emphasise the appealing sights of the time it is set in. It also helps to make it all the more convincing because it has all the right props for the time setting, and the cinematography has the feel of a classical style which gives the film a certain sense of joyful nostalgia. So My Week With Marilyn tells its story well and does it very stylishly.

But the element most admirable about My Week with Marilyn is the cast, especially the part of Michelle Williams in the titular role.

Michelle Williams is flawless in the role of Marilyn Monroe. Though nobody could ever play Marilyn Monroe as well as she did herself, Michelle Williams manages to ensure that nobody considers her miscast. Muchelle Williams manage to get a lot of elements of Marilyn Monroe that I didn't know about prior to viewing My Week with Marilyn, capturing the awkward uncertainties that the woman faced in real life as well as capturing the friendly and sexy nature of the woman. Michelle Williams manages to capture every small element of the character from physical movements such as how she walks or how she sits to her voice articulation and how she speaks in various situations. Frankly, it is Michelle Williams' best performance to date because the immense depth in her performance and her refusal to give it anything but her best or to let anyone else outshine her make her perfect for the person that generations if people have admired for beauty and acting. Michelle Williams reveals a lot about the nature of who Marilyn Monroe really was by revealing the friendliness of the woman, the way she faced trouble in Hollywood and her insecurities as an actress. Michelle Wiliams' performance is so perfect that it earned her a most definitely deserved nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress, and a win for the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a motion picture - Musical or Comedy.

Eddie Redmayne doesn't shine as much as the talents of the cast members around him, but with his youthful charisma and his lovely chemistry with Michelle Williams, he makes a name for himself. It isn't hard to sympathise for the character Colin Clark as he becomes emotionally confused in his relationships with both Marilyn Monroe and Lucy die to the way that Eddie Redmayne reveals the kind of complex emotional discoveries that he makes as he deals with his coming of age and his changing relationships. As a product of the effect that Marilyn Monroe had on the world, Colin Clark serves as a cultural symbol of just how Marilyn Monroe changed the world, and Eddie Redmayne proves through natural acting talent that he is able to achieve that which makes him a fine lead in My Week With Marilyn.

Kenneth Branagh is perfect for the role of Laurence Olivier because both actors are considered to be the best Shakespearian actors of their generation, so it seems like a role that could be captured with ease. And without failing, that's exactly what happens. Through I thought it may be difficult to see Kenneth Branagh in the part, within a matter of no time I was able to see him step straight into the role with ease. Thanks to the way he changed his voice around and combed his hair up appropriately to look like the man. While he isn't a flawless visual embodiment, he acts with such a dedicated passion for the part where he easily captures the natural charm of the man as well as the easily agitated nature of him. Kenneth Branagh gives his best performance in years in My Week with Marilyn because of how he captures a lot of the small elements about the man without going overboard or creating some new character of his own, and the result is an impressive supporting performance.

Judi Dench makes a harming presence as well simply because she lightens the mood when she is around and shows off a fine talent for interacting with the other cast members, and Emma Watson steps into a post-Harry Potter role easily and through her natural lovable charm makes it easy to see just how Colin Clark falls for her. She holds her own very firmly during her own moments on screen in My Week With Marilyn.

So although it doesn't answer every question about Marilyn Monroe, thanks to an unforgettably perfect lead performance from Michelle Williams, My Week With Marilyn is built on successful roots and only improves from there.