I don’t want to seem like a party pooper here but … Marilyn Monroe was quite the Prima Donna, no? There’s shit we put up with from double M that I wouldn’t have found acceptable from my six-year-old, let alone an adult co-worker. Every other actor is costumed and ready, but Marilyn shows up three hours late and then walks out because, “she can’t take today.” Wow. Quite the professional. Must have been aggravating.
My Week with Marilyn completely sympathizes with Ms. Monroe (Michelle Williams). The rules don’t apply to her because she’s a legend. That’s it. The film documents the on- and off-set behavior behind Laurence Olivier’s The Prince and the Showgirl. Sir Larry (Kenneth Branagh) is cast as the bad guy, constantly milking unreasonable expectations, like that Marilyn show up. After hitting one too many frustrations with pre-Madonna (get it? “Prima Donna?” Sorry. Pretend you didn’t read that.), the star-struck noob Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) gets assigned permanently to her case. This is, of course, his wet dream become reality. Did I mention this is a memoir? Given the option, he abandons Hermione without a second glance. Yes, Emma Watson is in this, barely. On Marilyn’s side, Elton John nailed it — Norma really is just a candle in the wind, so when hubby Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott) takes off for New York, she fills her man vacuum with Colin. And again, as an audience we’re left with the idea that it is reasonable she’s allowed to carry on with Colin – kiss him, hold him, skinny dip with him – marriage be damned; the rules don’t apply to somebody like Marilyn.
And, of course, we sympathize. The rules don’t apply to Marliyn – she’s adorable and talented and bubbly. Sure, you can hold your child to a standard, but not Miss Monroe. This is, of course, another brilliant performance by Michelle Williams. There’s normally only so long one can sympathize with such an abuser of relationships, but Michelle becomes the embodiment of this woman everybody sides with no matter how she acts. One day Michelle is going to get her due. One day.
This is really Colin’s story; it is his memoir. And we’ve seen this tale of commoner-thrust-into-the-fame-bubble before. I liked it better in films like Notting Hill and Almost Famous. At the end of the day here, all I appreciated were Michelle Williams’s portrayal and the end redemption given to Sir Laurence. Past that? The candle burned out long before reel two ever did.
Rated R, 99 Minutes
D: Simon Curtis
W: Adrian Hodges
Genre: Celebrity worship
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: Marilymaniacs
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: True fans of equality
