By REGINA IONNIZZOTTO
Opinion Editor
Marilyn Monroe is an icon, plain and simple. Upon entering the theater to watch My Week With Marilyn, I had no idea what to expect. The end result? The trailer did not do the movie justice.
This movie was the title: a single week in the life of Marilyn Monroe. This is probably one of the main aspects that make this movie better than most biographical films. It takes place during one week during the filming of The Prince and the Showgirl. It is based on the diary of Colin Clark who spent the week with Monroe and documented their adventures. The three stars that are most important to the story are Michelle Williams (Marilyn Monroe), Eddie Redmayne (Colin Clark), and Kenneth Branagh (Sir Laurence Olivier).
There are so few words that describe Williams’ performance as Monroe. A small amount of concern was raised on her physical similarities, but when comparing two pictures together, they do look very similar. Williams successfully gained Monroe’s playful attitude and airy speech. I watched a video that showed Monroe and Williams performing the exact same scene from the movie The Prince and the Showgirl. Williams was her identical twin in both speech and mannerisms.
Clark is the main reason this movie exists. His diaries are what brought this film to life and his experiences make the movie what it is. However, since Williams’ character took over the movie, there is not much to be said about Redmayne’s performance. One thing worth mentioning is his facial reactions to Williams. He always had a look that said, “I can’t believe this is happening to me” and stuck with it throughout the entire film.
Branagh, who played Sir Laurence Olivier, became his character. He did a wonderful job making his character the one everyone despised. He used his volume in such a powerful way you could feel the anger and almost become angry yourself.
The one thing about the movie that bothered me was Emma Watson’s role in the movie. She played Lucy in the wardrobe department and was Clark’s original love interest. She had no purpose. She did not advance the motives of the movie and, frankly, was rather annoying.
Overall, the movie was a success. It was not boring, had wonderful acting by all involved, relevant to the story or not. This is most definitely a suggestion – plea – to plop on the couch with some popcorn and watch this movie (when it comes out on DVD that is!)
