“My Week With Marilyn” is the true story of a young production assistant’s time spent with the legendary Marilyn Monroe escorting her around London when her husband Arthur Miller returned to America. The events took place during the filming of the 1957 movie “The Prince and the Showgirl,” which featured Monroe and Laurence Olivier. Director Simon Curtis (“David Copperfield” miniseries 1999) did a fine job on this project, with an excellent screenplay by Adrian Hodges, adapted from two books by Colin Clark, “The Prince, The Showgirl, and Me” and “My Week With Marilyn.”
Outstanding performances abound in the film, with Michelle Williams delivering a subtle interpretation of MM; she resisted the temptation many may have to overact Monroe’s persona and mannerisms. Kenneth Branagh is also brilliant as Olivier, an actor to whom he has often been compared. Eddie Redmayne is well-cast as the star-struck Colin Clark.
Honorable mentions go to Zoe Wanamaker as Paula Strasberg (MM’s acting coach), Emma Watson as Lucy the wardrobe assistant, Derek Jacobi as the Royal Librarian at Windsor Castle, Judy Dench as Sybil Thorndike, Dougray Scott as Arthur Miller, Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh, as well as Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones, and Michael Kitchen.
“My Week With Marilyn” was a moderate success in theatrical release for The Weinstein Company and BBC Films, great entertainment and a watchable film that is a good example of what Hollywood does best: Making movies about itself!
My Week With Marilyn (2011)
cinema
My Review
“My Week With Marilyn” is the true story of a young production assistant’s time spent with the legendary Marilyn Monroe escorting her around London when her husband Arthur Miller returned to America. The events took place during the filming of the 1957 movie “The Prince and the Showgirl,” which featured Monroe and Laurence Olivier. Director Simon Curtis (“David Copperfield” miniseries 1999) did a fine job on this project, with an excellent screenplay by Adrian Hodges, adapted from two books by Colin Clark, “The Prince, The Showgirl, and Me” and “My Week With Marilyn.”
Outstanding performances abound in the film, with Michelle Williams delivering a subtle interpretation of MM; she resisted the temptation many may have to overact Monroe’s persona and mannerisms. Kenneth Branagh is also brilliant as Olivier, an actor to whom he has often been compared. Eddie Redmayne is well-cast as the star-struck Colin Clark.
Honorable mentions go to Zoe Wanamaker as Paula Strasberg (MM’s acting coach), Emma Watson as Lucy the wardrobe assistant, Derek Jacobi as the Royal Librarian at Windsor Castle, Judy Dench as Sybil Thorndike, Dougray Scott as Arthur Miller, Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh, as well as Dominic Cooper, Toby Jones, and Michael Kitchen.
“My Week With Marilyn” was a moderate success in theatrical release for The Weinstein Company and BBC Films, great entertainment and a watchable film that is a good example of what Hollywood does best: Making movies about itself!