Review of My Week with Marilyn (2011) by Ryan P — 11 Jan 2013

''Sir Laurence Olivier: She's quite wonderful. No training, no craft, no guile, just pure instinct. Astonishing.

Colin Clark: You should tell her that.

Sir Laurence Olivier: Oh, I will. But she won't believe me. That's probably what makes her great, yet it's certainly what makes her so profoundly unhappy.''.

Is there a story worth telling here? I don't think so. The performances are what makes this film the most appealing. Eddie Redmayne's was neither here nor there; he was just flat throughout (the worst and only dreadful performance in the movie). I always felt Marilyn Monroe was one of those unplayable personalities, but Michelle Williams (who continues to impress me) does a great job with the role, revealing both the charismatic idiosyncrasies and vulnerable side of her we all knew (or heard) lurked underneath. Kenneth Branagh was also pretty good as Sir Laurence Olivier, although I haven't seen much of Olivier to truly appreciate the craftsmanship of Branagh's acting. Overall, this is not a very memorable film, but it's solely worth watching for those 2 Oscar nominated performances by Branagh and especially Williams.