"My Week with Marilyn"
Actress Michelle Williams has done a decent job of distancing herself from the teen drama Dawson's Creek since it went off the air back in 2003. Since then she has appeared in Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island, Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, and Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York. She has also earned two Oscar nominations from her work on Brokeback Mountain and last year's Blue Valentine. Williams' latest feature could quite possibly get her a third nomination from the Academy of Motion Pictures for her stunning portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in My Week with Marilyn.
Twenty-three year old film student Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne) is ready to start his career behind the camera. He eagerly goes down to Sir Lawrence Olivier's production company in search of work. After patiently biding his time Colin is hired on as Olivier's (Kenneth Branagh) third assistant director (a very crucial role on set.) Olivier is about to start production on The Prince and the Showgirl and has cast Ms. Monroe in the lead. The film comes at a time when Marilyn's career is at its highest. Unfortunately she fails to impress Olivier and the rest of his cast and crew with her preposterous demands, incredible unprofessionalism, and inability to act. The one person who instantly seems to fall under the spell of her magnetism is Colin. He gets to know Marilyn on a much more personal level and becomes infatuated with her, heeding to her every request. This also allows Colin to experience the real Marilyn Monroe, the one the public never gets to see. Underneath the alluring beauty of this movie star lies the tragic mess of a woman.
Williams is simply stunning in capturing all the glitz, glamour, and heartache of the blonde bombshell. She does a fine job of showing us just how truly intoxicating her personality was. How could anyone stay mad at her? Even Olivier eventually breaks down in admitting the stupor she can leave a man in. Williams also shows us the emptiness and detachment Marilyn has suffered that stems from her childhood as well as her addiction to pain killers. We get swept up in her performance. We aren't watching Michelle Williams do a caricature of Marilyn Monroe, she is Marilyn Monroe. Branagh is also a delight to watch in the supporting role of the great Olivier. His little quips and boiling frustrations as he attempts to direct his leading lady prove to be quite humorous.
My Week with Marilyn is a strong character piece that showcases some fantastic performances from its lead and supporting actors. This is only but a glimpse in to the life of one of Hollywood's most attractive, elegant, and hypnotic women to have ever graced the silver screen. There is no question that Williams owns this role and deserves the highest praise for her work on such an iconic figure. This is a role that requires not only a lot of attention to detail but also a careful understanding of what it must have felt like to walk in Marilyn's high heels. After watching this film you too will feel as though you have been in the presence of someone special. This makes out to be one unforgettable week for sure.
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