It's Not Easy Being a Goddess: "My Week with Marilyn" (2011)

On Christmas Day afternoon, I treated myself to a movie, venturing away from all the holiday festivities to take a step back to mid-50's England and explore the story of a young man who wanted to work in films, and landed the once in a lifetime opportunity as an assistant on the set of a film that was to star Sir Laurence Oliver and the one and only Marilyn Monroe.

It can't be an easy task to play someone as iconic as Monroe, for this is a woman whose name is known even by people who've never seen any of her films.  And, as one of the most examined, studied, and researched personalities of the twentieth century, even the strongest performer may shy away from trying to re-capture the magic of such a singular personage on screen.  Luckily, Michelle Williams not only stepped up to the plate but hit an amazing home run as Marilyn.

Williams is an actress whom I have admired since her early years on the teen soap "Dawson's Creek", where I thought she brought a depth and sincerity to the material that some of her unnamed co-stars were unable to do.  She gave a beautiful supporting performance in "Brokeback Mountain" in 2005, earning an Academy Award nomination, and was absolutely heartbreaking in 2008's "Wendy and Lucy".  I wasn't quite prepared for what I can only describe as a transformation in this new film though.  Copying the breathy voice just right is one thing, but seeming to channel the essence of Marilyn Monroe as a whole is an amazing bit of acting.  And, as I've said in prior blogs, calling it acting doesn't quite seem enough.  We can only imagine how the real Marilyn was, from what others have said and written about her, but to me, at times, I would've sworn I was watching Monroe in outtakes from the Olivier film (1957's "The Prince and the Showgirl").

In what is purely a secondary role, Kenneth Branagh likewise does sterling work as British acting legend Sir Laurence Olivier.  Many years after his death, Olivier is still regarded by some as the greatest English actor ever, and to others he is still regarded as one of the greatest overactors.  Branagh is successful at capturing both Olivier's professionalism as well as his ego.

As good as these performances are, I only wish the film had lived up to them.  It's not that the film itself is bad, but that Williams is so good, that her greatness shows weaknesses in the script and direction, as well as how shabbily the film treats other supporting characters like Judi Dench (as Dame Sybil Thorndike) and Julia Ormond (as Vivien Leigh).  It's fine to bring in a character for texture for a scene, but when you have actors the caliber of Dench and Ormond, and don't use them to their advantage, you are clearly showing shortcomings as a director or a screenwriter.

Expect to see both Williams and Branagh on the short list of Oscar nominees next month, and if all the buzz keeps going her way, you just may see Williams holding a golden statuette in a few months, one which Monroe herself was never even nominated for during her career.