Review of My Week with Marilyn (2011) by Niklas S — 30 Jun 2012

Michelle Williams makes a great attempt at capturing the essence of the magnetic Marilyn. There are moments when you could imagine it was the real thing - unfortunately, they are fleeting moments. Monroe was a complex figure and the portrayal here attempts to address it - not necessarily successfully.

Kenneth Branagh too gives a top class performance - believable, but not quite as waspish as I imagine Olivier was in real life. It was Monroe's ability to play to an audience - specifically to play to the lens of a camera that is absent in this movie biopic.

This production could have been about any actress - not one who truly was exceptional. Nevertheless, a fair attempt at depicting a real story.