Business rating: 2/5 stars (Two stars)
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Star cast: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Dominic Cooper, Emma Watson.
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What’s Bad: The lack of chemistry between the two protagonists; the leisurely pace of the drama.
Verdict: My Week With Marilyn is an above-average fare but it will do ordinary business in India due to lack of star value.
Loo break: A couple.
Watch or Not?: Watch it for the performances.
The Weinstein Company, BBC Films and PictureWorks’ My Week With Marilyn is a semi-autobiographical movie about American film star Marilyn Monroe’s relationship with a young assistant director while she was shooting for a film in England in 1956.
Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) sets foot on British soil for the first time to shoot for The Prince And The Showgirl. She is accompanied by her newly-wed and third husband, celebrated playwright Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott).
When Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh), Marilyn’s director and co-star in the film, gets impatient with her erratic behaviour and her frequent absenteeism, he sends Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), a novice 23-year-old assistant director to assuage her. Soon, Colin is smitten by the temperamental but wonderfully beautiful Marilyn, who fans the flames of his desire, after her husband has gone away to the US. Within a few days, the star and the assistant form a bond that is both reviled and respected by others in the film crew. What happens when the shooting of the film gets over? Does Marilyn stay on for Colin, or does she maintain her reputation of breaking men’s hearts? The rest of the drama answers these questions.
Adrian Hodges’ screenplay, based on diaries written by Colin Clark, is well-penned and brings to light several aspects of Marilyn Monroe’s personality through several well-enacted scenes. However, it would be a mistake to expect much more about the star from this screenplay, as it is just about a few days in her life, depicting only one of her many love affairs. The scenes where Marilyn is shown shooting for the film are very entertaining. The dialogues are natural.
On the minus side, the chemistry between Marilyn and Colin does not seem believable in the way it has been brought about in the film. It is also jarring to know that Colin falls for Marilyn so easily even when he is dating Lucy (Emma Watson), a girl from the film crew. As the screenplay spans across several days of Marilyn’s stay in England, the writer has picked only a few incidents. This leads one to wonder what actually transpired on other occasions during her stay in England. Also, the drama moves at a leisurely pace and this might not be appreciated by many in the Indian audience.
Michelle Williams puts up a fine performance as the top star. Although she does not resemble the real Marilyn Monroe, she does look very beautiful. Eddie Redmayne (as Colin) does a fine job as the youngster in love. Kenneth Branagh steals the show with his nuanced portrayal of the director-actor, Sir Laurence Olivier. Judi Dench is marvellous in the role of Sybil. Dominic Cooper (as Milton Grenne) does not disappoint. Emma Watson (as Lucy) is good in a very short role. Julia Ormond (as Vivien), Dougray Scott (as Arthur Miller) and others offer good support.
Simon Curtis’ direction is suitable to the subject. He has handled the drama with panache and has extracted very good performances from his cast members. Conrad Pope and Alexandre Desplat’s background score is commendable. Ben Smithard’s cinematography is lovely. Production design, by Donal Woods, takes the audience back into the era in which the film is set. Jill Taylor’s costume design is good. Editing, by Adam Recht, is sharp.
On the whole, My Week With Marilyn is a fine fare for the class section of the audience in India.
My Week With Marilyn releases in India on 24 February 2012.
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