Also late! Sorry!
My Week With Marilyn
Started by
TWoP Dietrich
, Dec 02 2011 04:24 PM
18 replies to this topic
#1
Posted Dec 2, 2011 @ 4:24 PM
#2
Posted Dec 3, 2011 @ 7:04 PM
I thought this was a decent enough trifle, with a number of positive aspects covering up some problems. Michelle Williams is excellent as Marilyn. She doesn't necessarily look or sound exactly like Marilyn, but there's a wonderfully uncertain quality to the performance. Every time there's a burgeoning conflict, Marilyn's eyes dart around, looking for direction. A lot of times, she appears ready to just flee the scene at the drop of a hat, like any level of stress could break her. But then you see her in her element, and Williams captures that X factor that drew people to Marilyn.
It's too bad that Judi Dench disappears after the first act, because she steals every scene that she's in. The scenes that take place on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl are a lot of fun, and it's also a kick to see Kenneth Branagh as Olivier, prone to outbursts of extreme irritation and profanity, contrary to his distinguished public persona. He's more of a caricature of Olivier, compared to Williams, but he's certainly entertaining.
On the negative side, the movie's main issue is Colin, the character at its center. He's such a boring drip that it makes you wish that he had been eliminated altogether (although I don't know how that would have worked, considering that the movie's based on his memoirs). There are so many colorful characters that a number of them get shortchanged (Dench and Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh especially), and Dominic Cooper and Dougray Scott are miscast in smaller roles. And overall, the whole thing has the feel of a well-produced TV movie. A more imaginative director probably would have given the movie a little bit of style.
A great performance and several good ones surrounded by a so-so movie.
It's too bad that Judi Dench disappears after the first act, because she steals every scene that she's in. The scenes that take place on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl are a lot of fun, and it's also a kick to see Kenneth Branagh as Olivier, prone to outbursts of extreme irritation and profanity, contrary to his distinguished public persona. He's more of a caricature of Olivier, compared to Williams, but he's certainly entertaining.
On the negative side, the movie's main issue is Colin, the character at its center. He's such a boring drip that it makes you wish that he had been eliminated altogether (although I don't know how that would have worked, considering that the movie's based on his memoirs). There are so many colorful characters that a number of them get shortchanged (Dench and Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh especially), and Dominic Cooper and Dougray Scott are miscast in smaller roles. And overall, the whole thing has the feel of a well-produced TV movie. A more imaginative director probably would have given the movie a little bit of style.
A great performance and several good ones surrounded by a so-so movie.
Edited by Redtracer, Dec 3, 2011 @ 7:38 PM.
#3
Posted Dec 5, 2011 @ 1:57 PM
Does anyone know if this will have a wide release? I really want to see it, if only for Michelle Williams' performance.
#4
Posted Dec 6, 2011 @ 1:51 PM
I caught this and Melancholia over the weekend and MWWM was a much needed mental break from the heaviness of the latter.
Michelle Williams was utterly charming as Monroe, which is a big feat for me because I find her previous work, while loaded with good stuff, completely charmless. It's just the last word I would use to describe her choices. At times, I felt the uncertain air surrounding Marilyn to be a total act. The teary-eyed, coy "You think I'm talented?". Oy.
Other times, Williams made me believe that Monroe truly did suffer greatly from lack of esteem and awareness. I felt the people Monroe surrounded herself with did everything they could to beat her into submission.
I don't know if it's an Oscar-worthy performance but definately an endearing portrayal.
Eddie Redmayne was my favorite part! There is simply something about his face that I love. It's not a sexiness or really anything physical. It's how wide-eyed and eager he comes across. I feel like Colin didn't need to be anything more than he was but I could see how he did come across a bit dull. Maybe that was the attraction for someone like Marilyn, who has been surrounded by all the men in her life who promise the world, then leave. He was unassuming and harmless, which was a nice contrast to Marilyns erratic behavior.
I felt like maybe there was just too many characters introduced. Of course, this is the set of The Prince & The Showgirl, you can't leave out a legend like Vivian Leigh but not enough time was spent on filler. I actually really liked Scott as Miller....felt he had the look and accent down.
Overall, I really enjoyed it.
Michelle Williams was utterly charming as Monroe, which is a big feat for me because I find her previous work, while loaded with good stuff, completely charmless. It's just the last word I would use to describe her choices. At times, I felt the uncertain air surrounding Marilyn to be a total act. The teary-eyed, coy "You think I'm talented?". Oy.
Other times, Williams made me believe that Monroe truly did suffer greatly from lack of esteem and awareness. I felt the people Monroe surrounded herself with did everything they could to beat her into submission.
I don't know if it's an Oscar-worthy performance but definately an endearing portrayal.
On the negative side, the movie's main issue is Colin, the character at its center. He's such a boring drip that it makes you wish that he had been eliminated altogether (although I don't know how that would have worked, considering that the movie's based on his memoirs).
Eddie Redmayne was my favorite part! There is simply something about his face that I love. It's not a sexiness or really anything physical. It's how wide-eyed and eager he comes across. I feel like Colin didn't need to be anything more than he was but I could see how he did come across a bit dull. Maybe that was the attraction for someone like Marilyn, who has been surrounded by all the men in her life who promise the world, then leave. He was unassuming and harmless, which was a nice contrast to Marilyns erratic behavior.
There are so many colorful characters that a number of them get shortchanged (Dench and Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh especially), and Dominic Cooper and Dougray Scott are miscast in smaller roles.
I felt like maybe there was just too many characters introduced. Of course, this is the set of The Prince & The Showgirl, you can't leave out a legend like Vivian Leigh but not enough time was spent on filler. I actually really liked Scott as Miller....felt he had the look and accent down.
Overall, I really enjoyed it.
#5
Posted Dec 8, 2011 @ 3:10 PM
I agree, Michelle Williams' performance was excellent ... however, that is not enough to make a movie good. It had it's moments and the re creation of the period was beautiful. Judi Dench was great. But it just didn't come together for me, as a whole film.
I found both the character of Colin and the actor who played him to be to void of charisma, I understand that he was supposed to be sweet and earnest but the actor failed to portray that IMO.
Also, Julia Ormond was miscast, I think. It's a small part but Vivien Leigh had a certain girlishness to her. Even in her 40s, and Ormond does not have that.
That Marilyn wig they made for Williams was FANTASTIC.
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
I found both the character of Colin and the actor who played him to be to void of charisma, I understand that he was supposed to be sweet and earnest but the actor failed to portray that IMO.
Also, Julia Ormond was miscast, I think. It's a small part but Vivien Leigh had a certain girlishness to her. Even in her 40s, and Ormond does not have that.
That Marilyn wig they made for Williams was FANTASTIC.
A great performance and several good ones surrounded by a so-so movie.
Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.
#6
Posted Dec 15, 2011 @ 7:59 AM
Also, Julia Ormond was miscast, I think. It's a small part but Vivien Leigh had a certain girlishness to her. Even in her 40s, and Ormond does not have that.
I agree. Hers was the one glaring miscasting for me too. Ormond wasn't Vivien Leigh in any shape or form for me. It seems like she was only cast because she was English with dark hair. She was way too harsh-looking to play Leigh I think. I read somewhere that she was the third (at least) choice for the role - apparently Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rachel Weisz were both offered it first.
#7
Posted Dec 22, 2011 @ 6:36 PM
I finally caught up with this today, and I agree with the consensus here. Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh are both good here, and I liked Judi Dench in her small role, but this is an anecdote stretched to feature-length, and the strain is there from the beginning. It might have gotten by with a better leading man, but as the saying goes, I thought Redmayne ran the gamut of expressions from A to B. This movie did nothing for me.
#8
Posted Jan 3, 2012 @ 1:41 PM
Finally saw it. Michelle Williams was brilliant. If this doesn't get her the Oscar, nothing will.
I thought it was pretty telling how, much like the celebrities of today, Marilyn was surrounded by enablers, people who were supposed to look out for her best interest, and instead just buttered her up, giving her the pills because they made her more "managable."
I thought it was pretty telling how, much like the celebrities of today, Marilyn was surrounded by enablers, people who were supposed to look out for her best interest, and instead just buttered her up, giving her the pills because they made her more "managable."
#9
Posted Jan 3, 2012 @ 10:13 PM
I feel like there was a more interesting movie in here centred on Monroe and Olivier, focusing on the clash of personalities and acting philosophies, and their turbulent personal lives. Eddie Redmayne's Colin is okay, but, as with a lot of Everyman viewpoint characters in stories of this sort, he feels a little unnecessary (notwithstanding that he was a real guy, of course, so it's understandable why they took this approach, even outside of narrative conventions).
Michelle Williams was great; she had real movie star charisma, something most of her roles don't allow her to show (Leonardo DiCaprio is another case of that; he hasn't really let his charisma loose onscreen since Catch Me If You Can, though the upcoming The Great Gatsby seems like it'll end that drought). I'd like to see her do that more (notwithstanding that indie-ish drama is her bread and butter and seemingly her main interest) - maybe she could get a Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical nomination at the Globes for a real comedy/musical.
The rest of the supporting cast was fun, including an enjoyable turn from Emma Watson (though the repeated references to her character washing her hair kind of took me out of the movie since she's obviously wearing a wig, this having been filmed after she cut her hair). Branagh was a hoot - this has been a quietly great year for him, between the probable Oscar nomination and Thor's success.
Michelle Williams was great; she had real movie star charisma, something most of her roles don't allow her to show (Leonardo DiCaprio is another case of that; he hasn't really let his charisma loose onscreen since Catch Me If You Can, though the upcoming The Great Gatsby seems like it'll end that drought). I'd like to see her do that more (notwithstanding that indie-ish drama is her bread and butter and seemingly her main interest) - maybe she could get a Best Actress in a Comedy/Musical nomination at the Globes for a real comedy/musical.
The rest of the supporting cast was fun, including an enjoyable turn from Emma Watson (though the repeated references to her character washing her hair kind of took me out of the movie since she's obviously wearing a wig, this having been filmed after she cut her hair). Branagh was a hoot - this has been a quietly great year for him, between the probable Oscar nomination and Thor's success.
#10
Posted Jan 6, 2012 @ 2:28 PM
I just watched the real Prince and the Showgirl, and maybe it was a mistake to watch it so soon after this movie, but I couldn't help thinking of all the takes she messed up. And it was scary how much Olivier resembled Branaugh!
I loved the cute little dance Marilyn Monroe did in her room. Michelle William had that down cold.
I loved the cute little dance Marilyn Monroe did in her room. Michelle William had that down cold.
#11
Posted Jan 16, 2012 @ 3:40 AM
IMO Leigh began looking very matronly at a relatively young age. Here she is with Olivier at the premiere of The Prince and the Showgirl. Of course, you may be speaking of her personality vs. what Ormond projected. I haven't yet seen the film.Vivien Leigh had a certain girlishness to her.
#12
Posted Mar 30, 2012 @ 9:19 PM
Just caught this on DVD tonight and loved it! I thought everyone was perfect. At least 100 times better than Tree Of Life.
#13
Posted Apr 3, 2012 @ 7:24 PM
I just remembered that I rented this, so it's safe to say that I didn't love it.
ITA. Williams was awesome, so awesome that she was hella annoying. How any cast/crew could put up with Marilyn's antics for a whole shoot is beyond me. It was a bit distracting that Ken and Julia look nothing like Sir Larry and Janet. (Didn't Larry and Marilyn hook up at some point?) The main reason I didn't like the film was the direction, especially in the first hour. Every scene was so flashy and heavily edited; it didn't feel like Colin's story or POV, and I couldn't wait for the camera to settle down so we could just see the actors act. I remember Redmayne being labeled as the next big thing a while back and it looks like he hasn't aged.Michelle Williams' performance was excellent ... however, that is not enough to make a movie good. It had it's moments and the re creation of the period was beautiful. Judi Dench was great. But it just didn't come together for me, as a whole film.
Edited by Numb Nut, Apr 3, 2012 @ 7:25 PM.
#14
Posted May 12, 2012 @ 3:22 AM
Saw it. Liked it. Didn't love it.
My main problem with the movie is how little there is of real substance to it, or to the original story. There are over a thousand people, I'm quite sure, who at some point in the 50s and 60s who could write pretty much a similar narrative about a few afternoons hanging out with Monroe as her temporary new best friend or boy toy, turning them into something larger (for them), while Marilyn meanwhile most likely forgot their names within a few weeks of the experience.
For me, the movie came alive on the scenes on the set, then kind of flopped again almost immediately, anytime drippy Colin paused in doorways, windows, screening rooms and more simply to adore his goddess. I like Marilyn and find her genuinely interesting, but this movie seemed weirdly determined keep us, like Colin, at arm's-length.
I wholeheartedly agree with this. I couldn't stand Redmayne. I thought he was just horribly miscast. The movie needed someone sweet. To me, Redmayne came off as rather creepy and calculating. I never thought he wanted to protect Marilyn so much as he simply wanted her for himself. It's understandable, but... for me, creepy.
The standout for me was definitely Williams, who was sensational, and who made the movie. I also thought Branagh was a lot of fun, however, and a worthy opponent in Olivier. I also adored Dench in her small role (although she kind of disappeared at the end). Dramatically, I wish Dench's approbation for Marilyn had come near the end -- it would have had a nice weight to it dramatically, and meant more to her. I liked a lot of the supporting actors too -- I thought Scott was surprisingly good as Miller (and he really had the accent down pat).
I liked Ormond a lot, although I never would have thought of her here. She seemed to me, in some ways, to have studied Leigh every bit as closely as Williams must have studied Monroe. She would play up the way she tilted her head, the way she smiled, and the way she would kind of point her chin with her smile, that I found very Leigh-like. I also liked how thoroughly well she seemed to know her husband, and her sudden tears over the brutality of the business really affected me. And I am so glad that Ormond is in that rare group of actresses who is apparently allowing herself to age naturally and gorgeously.
What I liked about the performances was that nobody really was a dead ringer for the person they were playing. But -- and I saw it most especially with Branagh and Williams -- there would be these moments that were just uncanny, where I would get a real tangible flash of Marilyn, or of Olivier. A so-so movie but lovely acting.
Meanwhile, in the beginning, when Leigh, Olivier, Monroe, and Miller were all at the press conference, I couldn't help but think (lovingly), "That's a lot of crazy on one stage right there."
My main problem with the movie is how little there is of real substance to it, or to the original story. There are over a thousand people, I'm quite sure, who at some point in the 50s and 60s who could write pretty much a similar narrative about a few afternoons hanging out with Monroe as her temporary new best friend or boy toy, turning them into something larger (for them), while Marilyn meanwhile most likely forgot their names within a few weeks of the experience.
For me, the movie came alive on the scenes on the set, then kind of flopped again almost immediately, anytime drippy Colin paused in doorways, windows, screening rooms and more simply to adore his goddess. I like Marilyn and find her genuinely interesting, but this movie seemed weirdly determined keep us, like Colin, at arm's-length.
On the negative side, the movie's main issue is Colin, the character at its center. He's such a boring drip that it makes you wish that he had been eliminated altogether (although I don't know how that would have worked, considering that the movie's based on his memoirs).
I wholeheartedly agree with this. I couldn't stand Redmayne. I thought he was just horribly miscast. The movie needed someone sweet. To me, Redmayne came off as rather creepy and calculating. I never thought he wanted to protect Marilyn so much as he simply wanted her for himself. It's understandable, but... for me, creepy.
The standout for me was definitely Williams, who was sensational, and who made the movie. I also thought Branagh was a lot of fun, however, and a worthy opponent in Olivier. I also adored Dench in her small role (although she kind of disappeared at the end). Dramatically, I wish Dench's approbation for Marilyn had come near the end -- it would have had a nice weight to it dramatically, and meant more to her. I liked a lot of the supporting actors too -- I thought Scott was surprisingly good as Miller (and he really had the accent down pat).
Also, Julia Ormond was miscast, I think. It's a small part but Vivien Leigh had a certain girlishness to her. Even in her 40s, and Ormond does not have that.
I liked Ormond a lot, although I never would have thought of her here. She seemed to me, in some ways, to have studied Leigh every bit as closely as Williams must have studied Monroe. She would play up the way she tilted her head, the way she smiled, and the way she would kind of point her chin with her smile, that I found very Leigh-like. I also liked how thoroughly well she seemed to know her husband, and her sudden tears over the brutality of the business really affected me. And I am so glad that Ormond is in that rare group of actresses who is apparently allowing herself to age naturally and gorgeously.
What I liked about the performances was that nobody really was a dead ringer for the person they were playing. But -- and I saw it most especially with Branagh and Williams -- there would be these moments that were just uncanny, where I would get a real tangible flash of Marilyn, or of Olivier. A so-so movie but lovely acting.
Meanwhile, in the beginning, when Leigh, Olivier, Monroe, and Miller were all at the press conference, I couldn't help but think (lovingly), "That's a lot of crazy on one stage right there."
#15
Posted May 12, 2012 @ 4:50 AM
I thought most of the cast were brilliant in this, especially Williams & Branagh, but was let down by Eddie Redmayne's wet blanket of a character who was so bland and so incredibly sheltered & naive that he just didn't elicit any emotional response from me. I don't even find the actor that good-looking, so don't get all the fuss over his appearance, to be honest.
It was awesome to see Judi Dench in her role, she was as brilliant as ever, and I couldn't figure out who the actress playing Paula (Marilyn's acting coach) was until I saw the credits and noticed it was Zoe Wanamaker, but she was tremendous too!
It was lovely to see Emma Watson in a period piece too, and I thought she did a lot with a small part that could have been one-note.
I love all things Marilyn Monroe & thought Williams did a phenomenal job bringing her to life, but I won't be buying the DVD when it comes out.
It was awesome to see Judi Dench in her role, she was as brilliant as ever, and I couldn't figure out who the actress playing Paula (Marilyn's acting coach) was until I saw the credits and noticed it was Zoe Wanamaker, but she was tremendous too!
It was lovely to see Emma Watson in a period piece too, and I thought she did a lot with a small part that could have been one-note.
I love all things Marilyn Monroe & thought Williams did a phenomenal job bringing her to life, but I won't be buying the DVD when it comes out.
#16
Posted May 12, 2012 @ 11:17 AM
I spent most of the movie thinking Zoe Wanamaker was Mindy Sterling, aka Frau Farbissina in the Austin Powers movies.
#17
Posted May 14, 2012 @ 10:31 PM
One of the millions of moments Williams had where she just felt like Marilyn was when she was explaining why she had decided Abraham Lincoln was her father. She just really channeled Marilyn, I could easily see the real Monroe saying"it might as well be him." exactly as Williams did. That was one of many moments where I just shook my head at the performance...too brilliant to put into words.
#18
Posted May 15, 2012 @ 9:22 AM
How can it "might be him" when he died sixty years before she was born?
#19
Posted May 15, 2012 @ 4:19 PM
No, she knew it couldn't possibly be him, but she said she never knew her real father anyway so it "might as well" be him. Point being, it could have been anybody. "Might as well" does not mean the same thing as "might be".
Edited by The Mee, May 15, 2012 @ 4:20 PM.
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