Review of My Week with Marilyn (2011) by Jack W — 09 Jul 2012

The most striking thing about MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (Simon Curtis, Weinstein Company, 2011) is that it is a film about actors with some incredible acting. Every actor involved with this production performed at high level. Michelle Williams, in the titular role, oozes Marilyn. She hits every nuance of one of the most troubled and iconic figures of film history. In just as difficult a role, Kenneth Branagh plays Sir Laurence Olivier spectacularly, showing the actors vanity, insecurity and presence. These two talented performers tackle playing icons, giants of the film industry and give just amazing performances.

It is the lights shined upon these two icons which is most revealing. The film easily could have devolved into a romanticized look at these two stars yet it showed these two with all their flaws for the world to see. Marilyn, maybe the most recognized figure of the 20th century, struggled with insecurity and addiction to pills. Unable to cope with her fame or to acknowledge her place in the world, Williams hits every one of these parts of Marilyn. The most telling moment was as Marilyn (Williams) and Colin (Eddie Redmayne) are walking through Windsor Castle. As she approaches her fans, Marilyn smoothly transitions between innocent girl to Marilyn, seamlessly. This I feel was the essence of Marilyn. She could give the public every ounce of herself and Williams captures that perfectly.

The film also speaks to the role of private lives versus public personas. Particularly during this period, the studios did an enormously successful job of managing what the public knew and believed about it's stars. And when Olivier (Branagh) reveals his true feelings to Colin regarding Marilyn, we see exactly this disparity. Olivier knows his fame is fleeting and along with that fame his youth and looks. The mirror that Marilyn provides to him serves to further depend his insecurity. And man, what an incredible amount of insecurity exists for these two icons, as surely exists for all performers.

Finally, the self reflexivity of the film sets it apart for me. The several pictures within pictures, the narrative following the plot of a film being made and the manner in which the film strips down the elegance and glamour of filmmaking really make this film for me. Filmmaking is often a maddening and frustrating exercise in futility. Too many variable exist to allow it to run smoothly and this film showcases that nicely. MY WEEK WITH MARILYN is a very nice film, easy to watch and follow, and easy to lose yourself in its magical world.