And those same words couldn't be more true in My Week With Marilyn, a movie dedicated to capturing a young British man's short-lived romance with Marilyn Monroe. In my particular scenario, though, my respective half is that of a broke-ass college graduate.
Before we begin, I want to state this for the record: I'm not a girl that worships Marilyn Monroe, nor the ground she once walked on. I don't go to her for inspirational quotes, nor do I have posters of her hanging on my wall. Chick definitely had her problems. However, I will say that the more I learn about her, the more interested I become. So fear not, this will not turn into a Marilyn fanpiece. We'll now carry on to the review.
I've been wanting to see this flick for forever and a day, but never had the right opportunity. It was always checked out at the library, didn't have the time or, of course, my current lack of Netflix. But a lazy Sunday in my cousin's apartment with a huge flat screen was about as big a green light as I needed.
Seeing as this was associated with both BBC Films and The Weinstein Company, I had pretty high expectations. The film begins with Colin, a 23-year-old dreamer born to a family of overachievers. First, I must say Eddie Redmayne was a fabulous casting choice for the role. Having first met him as Marius Pontmercy in Les Miserables, I didn't really know what to expect. I didn't feel like I could get a handle on his acting chops in Les Mis because I was blinded by my infinite love for showtunes. But once the musical element was stripped away, I found out how well he could hold his own alongside Michelle Williams, who played Marilyn. He told the story of Colin Clark, a "nobody" among huge names in the film industry, and made it captivating.
On a quick sidenote, I didn't think Michelle Williams looked too much like Marilyn at all. When the movie started, I thought, "She's just trying to be someone she's not." But progressively, beyond the blonde hair and red lipstick, she really pulled it off with the way she studied her mannerisms, voice and insecurity.
As the title is My Week With Marilyn, I suppose that's a dumb moment for myself for not expecting a memoir. The way the memories and specific touches were worked in, through both the writing and directing, were beautiful and made everything feel genuine. This wasn't a movie simply "based on true events." These things happened, from climbing the showbusiness ladder to skinnydipping with Marilyn to climbing through her window to make sure she was conscious. I felt immersed in her heyday, but not overwhelmed. I loved the POV and the setting for which it all took place.
I was delighted to see Emma Watson, as I enjoy seeing her in other things than Harry Potter. Perks of Being a Wallflower was great, so I was excited to see what she could do. I think they sold her character a little short. Of course, she's the sensible British girl who doesn't get the boy because he falls hard for Marilyn, but I wanted to see a little more of who she was. I didn't get any sense of character, really, other than not putting up with guys who just want to have sex. So that's one of my few complaints.
I don't know how many drafts and rewrites were done to create the screenplay, but I'm sure the actual memoir is much more detailed. I almost wish the film was longer, so that I could have gotten a better sense of their interactions that led to the romance and his love for her in full bloom. There was no doubt in my mind that Colin's love was blossoming, but I almost didn't buy that he was IN love. If I had known more about what was going on in his head, like what was written in his diaries, I think I would have been more inclined to believe he was truly smitten.
As far as this movie is concerned, maybe I'm a little biased since my love for 50s and 60s pop culture knows no bounds. If that's not your thing, you probably won't be as into it as I was. All I know is I would definitely watch it again and I thought it was a cool, underrated movie worth watching.
Out of four, I give it:
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