Film review: My Week With Marilyn (four our of five stars)

Starring: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh

(15) 99mins

IT’S coming up to that time when the ‘O’ word gets bandied about.

And if this movie doesn’t get a couple of Oscar nominations then there’s no justice.

Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe and Kenneth Branagh as Sir Laurence Olivier are extraordinarily good, backed up by a host of top quality actors.

This is the type of movie that we do very well in this country - a character-driven glimpse of famous folk from history.

It’s based on the journal of Colin Clark, the son of a well-to-do family who works for Sir Larry on the film set of The Prince and the Showgirl.

There he meets and becomes a close friend of the famous starlet.

But the association is doomed to failure as Miss Monroe is married (for the third time) and the Hollywood band-wagon wraps a protective (though not particularly safe) blanket round her.

Michelle Williams dominates every scene she is in, which is very appropriate as Marilyn Monroe tended to as well.

You end up understanding the ill-fated woman far more as she stumbles through life.

It’s all pieced together with skill and a great deal of care.

Eddie Redmayne plays Colin Clark and is much improved from his role in last year’s rather dire Black Death film.

Perhaps the fact he was surrounded by incredible talent made life easier.

When you have Derek Jacobi, Michael Kitchen, Simon Russell Beale, Judi Dench, Dominic Cooper and Zoe Wanamaker appearing in smaller roles then you have to raise your game.

To round off the whole film the music is great and direction and camera-work excellent.

For the curious - the 15 certificate is basically down to the occasional ‘bad’ language - as Marilyn says ‘Oh, you use that word too’.

Steve Payne

Screening courtesy of Cineworld Crawley