MY WEEK WITH MARILYN (R)

MOVIESAL'S GRADE: B-

MY WEEK WITH MARILYN

Cast overview, first billed only: Michelle Willians - Marilyn Monroe Eddie Redmayne - Colin

Well, it's Oscar season again, which means we'll start being inundated with biopics and celebs putting on weight or false noses in hopes of bringing home that bald little statue. The difference between most of them and Michelle Williams is that Michelle Williams deserves it.

Don't get me wrong. This movie is not The King's Speech. It's not perfect and subtle and amazing. It is very well done, and Williams is great as Marilyn, but the plot is thin and doesn't reveal much more about the inner-life of Monroe than we would get from an A&E Biography. We all know she was insecure, neurotic, perpetually drugged up, and hell on a set. We all know about her and men and daddy issues and the downside of fame. But, Williams absolutely shines. Her performance, even in the quieter moments, is pure Marilyn. 

The biggest problem with this movie is the plot, which doesn't really seem to exist. It follows Colin, who is the third assistant director on the set of Marilyn's latest movie and, of course, falls desperately in love with her. Who wouldn't? They don't have a torrid affair, but she does cling to him and he almost convinces himself they might really have a future together, despite every person on earth telling him otherwise.

The ending shouldn't shock anyone.

Colin himself is a weak character and not very interesting. We are supposed to relate to him as the "normal" guy, but I for one never gave him a second thought. He was just a conduit to get a glimpse of Marilyn.

While the script is weak, most of the supporting performances are amazing. The most interesting part of this film to me was watching two aging stars of the time, Laurence Olivier and Vivian Leigh (Branaugh and Ormond), dealing with the inconsistent Marilyn. Watching them both come to terms with the fact that their days in the spotlight were over, that they were getting older and more irrelevant with each passing moment, was fascinating, sad, and very well done. The combination of love, hate, resentment, and absolute awe with Marilyn were so subtly done that you would almost miss it if you weren't looking for it.

If you love this era of cinema, if you love Marilyn Monroe, you will enjoy this movie. If not, I fear it is too slow and too thin a script for you to take much away from it.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Entertaining? For movie fans, yes.

Enlightening? Only if you don't know anything about Marilyn Monroe.

Summary: A slow, dreamy film with great performances, particularly from Williams.