Simon Curtis' My Week with Marilyn isn't exclusively a biography about Marilyn Monroe, instantly discernible by her name not even being the subject in the film's title. Curtis and his screenwriter Adrian Hodges deliberately decided against exploring her psyche and the ingrained reasons for her constant misery, but instead opted for a film about filmmaking and love that additionally provides a detailed look on a week in her life through the eyes of a third – quite literally a third, namely Colin Clark, third assistant director on her 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl. Since the Hollywood method of putting a person's life story on screen has become somewhat threadbare after a period of immoderate usage as of late, this course of action would seem to be the wisest option.
However, the problem with this approach is that all of the film's appeal emanates from Michelle Williams' astonishing portrayal of cinema's greatest sex symbol, conveying her charm and elegance as well as her despondency and personal problems in a performance that would unquestionably have won her an Oscar if Meryl Streep had taken some time off in 2011. Watching her idiosyncrasies and mannerisms is what makes My Week with Marilyn shine out, but as soon as Williams disappears from screen, there is a sense of voidness taking over. If only Hodges' script were more devoted to the supporting characters than I am to my morning coffee, who knows to which heights the illustrious cast would have been able to carry the film to?
That being said, My Week with Marilyn remains an entertaining and interesting film, illuminating some parts of the enigmatic life behind the celebrity Marilyn Monroe and doing so with the help of a superb actress at its core.
However, the problem with this approach is that all of the film's appeal emanates from Michelle Williams' astonishing portrayal of cinema's greatest sex symbol, conveying her charm and elegance as well as her despondency and personal problems in a performance that would unquestionably have won her an Oscar if Meryl Streep had taken some time off in 2011. Watching her idiosyncrasies and mannerisms is what makes My Week with Marilyn shine out, but as soon as Williams disappears from screen, there is a sense of voidness taking over. If only Hodges' script were more devoted to the supporting characters than I am to my morning coffee, who knows to which heights the illustrious cast would have been able to carry the film to?
That being said, My Week with Marilyn remains an entertaining and interesting film, illuminating some parts of the enigmatic life behind the celebrity Marilyn Monroe and doing so with the help of a superb actress at its core.