“My Week with Marilyn,” directed by Simon Curtis, is based on a memoir and presents an intimate picture of the great ­actress. Set in England and ­narrated by Colin Clark, a young assistant film producer, this movie is a coming-of-age story about first love, dreams, hopes, and passion. Colin (Eddie Redmayne) is a British film student who gets a job as third assistant to Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) on the set of Olivier's 1957 film, “The Prince and the Showgirl,'' starring Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams).
Marilyn is Marilyn as seen through the eyes of an adolescent boy who falls in love almost immediately upon meeting her. Through Colin's perspective, we see two sides of Marilyn: the glamorous actress, envied for her talent and charm, in contrast to the insecure woman, unable to access her full potential, who is married to a man who only loves the idea of her, and suffers periods of drug-induced depression. As viewers, we struggle along side Colin to understand this mature, complex Marilyn, and like Colin, we can't help but fall in love with her.
Here, Michelle Williams' subtle acting skills come into play. She's an actress playing an actress playing a showgirl. Call it inception if you will; it's a tough job for Williams, who often has to play Marilyn on her bland off-days, as well as the periods when her natural talent stuns even the impassive Sir Laurence. Williams brings it off with enormous nuance, making this lukewarm romantic “dramedy” so much the better.
“My Week with Marilyn” is best described as “glittery.” One can't hope for historical accuracy or an exact account of the real Monroe's life, but this movie does successfully tell a nostalgic, ethereal story in 101 minutes. Watching is like stepping into a somewhat cliched (but still lovely) dream. It's a nod to Hollywood of the 1960's, with not only Marilyn and Olivier, but also Arthur Miller and Vivian Leigh.
As we watch Colin pursue a film career, we fall in love with the hazy glamour of that era. While titled “My Week with Marilyn,” it should be called “One Day with Marilyn.” Colin lives in a dream for that one blissful day when he and Marilyn forget all their cares, tour London, and even go skinny dipping. As the title implies, the romance is brief, and Colin must realize the impossibility of a love affair with the world-famous Marilyn Monroe and remember it as just a thing of the past. After all, this is no Notting Hill.