Tender, touching and true, Simon Curtis's movie-memoir My Week with Marilyn is both reverentially empathetic to its famous subject and refreshingly authentic without pulling any punches, presenting a credible portrait of a broken legend whose persistent personal heartache, despite her worldwide fame and acclaim, ironically only augmented her appeal for the rest of us mere mortals. This is the allegedly valid account of one young lad’s brief but miraculously intimate friendship with Marilyn Monroe during the filming of one of her less appreciated films, 1957’s romantic comedy The Prince and the Showgirl, and it’s as impassioned as it is improbable, a lovingly told fairy tale that lingers in the memory like a childhood infatuation with a stranger you barely knew, but who unwittingly left an indelible impression that forever impacts your world view.
The key to this film’s risky success lies in is greatest casting challenge: who in the modern era could possibly portray someone as eternally familiar as Marilyn Monroe without coming off as a cartoonish caricature? The answer may surprise on paper, but Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine, Brokeback Mountain) perfectly evokes the complexity of the woman behind the simplistic image on every level - physically, verbally and emotionally, beautifully conveying Marilyn’s sensitivity, vulnerability, insecurity, bold sensuality and profound sadness without resorting to a cheap impersonation, and while she may lack Marilyn’s natural beauty, her body language and vocal inflection are uncannily accurate, as if she were possessed by the star’s spirit. It’s one of the best performances of an icon I’ve ever witnessed, in any medium, and she deserves all the awards and accolades that are sure to shower her in the coming months, and years. This is a role for the ages. As a lifelong Marilyn fan, I was often moved to tears by her portrayal. Marilyn’s story has been dissected and discussed so many times that many of us feel an odd kinship with her, as if we knew her. After watching this movie, you will really feel that much closer to this enduring yet elusive enigma and star-crossed symbol of Hollywood Heaven - as a person, not as a myth.
The supporting performances are likewise superb. Kenneth Branagh is brilliant as Marilyn’s frequently frustrated co-star Sir Laurence Olivier, pivoting smoothly between petulance, peevishness and pensiveness, but that’s no surprise, given his proven genius. We’re all spoiled by his talent. Julia Ormond is seen briefly but effectively as Vivien Leigh, with only hints of Mrs. Olivier’s reported emotional instability, and Dame Judi Dench is typically great as aging actress Dame Sybil Thorndike, who gives her co-star Marilyn the respect she warrants, despite the dramatic difficulties. Eddie Redmayne is perfectly balanced as the piece’s other crucial bit of casting, the youthful director's assistant and future memoirist/writer Colin Clark, who naïvely but enthusiastically becomes the seemingly random object of Marilyn’s neurotic neediness, especially after her new husband, celebrated playwright Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott) splits the English set for New York after a spat, leaving her alone in this strange land filled with professional intimidation as well as crushing adulation, though for Marilyn, both offer their own unique pressures, especially in combination. The production design expertly recreates the place (Britain) and period (mid-1950s) without coming off as retro-kitschy, with musical soundtrack choices that are both obvious (Dean Martin’s “Memories Are Made of This”) and inspired (Les Baxter's “Quiet Village’), evoking the era with stylish subtlety.
Ultimately, this charming little movie works because we can feel the pulse and presence of the real Marilyn Monroe throughout the soulful narrative, and I’m sure that somewhere, she’s pleased and proud of this very personal tribute. In this case, that’s the only critic that matters.
My Week with Marilyn is now playing at the Piedmont, Albany and other Bay Area theaters.
Will the Thrill Viharo is a pulp fiction author and B Movie impresario.
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