Review: My Week with Marilyn

MANILA, Philippines - Hollywood's obsession with Marilyn Monroe is undeniable and the various biopics and documentaries centering on the gone-too-soon sexpot is evidence of it.

I got to watch "Norma Jean & Marilyn" on HBO prior to the Philippine press screening of "My Week with Marilyn" at the Greenbelt 3 MyCinema and while two actresses--Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino--were needed to bring the enigmatic titular character to life in the former, it was enough for one Michelle Williams to endear Marilyn to me in this reincarnation by The Weinstein Company.

But while Monroe remains the centerpiece of this film, the narrator this time is upstart twenty-three year old Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), the son of an esteemed art historian, and one who definitely doesn't need the salary yet nevertheless shows perseverance in landing a job in the next Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) film.

He eventually becomes the third assistant to the director (or gofer as in "go for this", "go for that" according to Clark) in the production of the light comedy film "The Prince and the Showgirl". It is here that Clark would experience a lot of "firsts" with Monroe even though the now widely-famous actress is joined by her husband Arthur Miller (Dougray Scott).

I was unsure if Williams took her cue from Sorvino's Monroe in "Norma Jean & Marilyn" because every bad thing that Olivier said about his co-star during filming was on point. Monroe was made to appear untalented, unprofessional, and child-like.

Clark, however, was all too-supportive of Monroe and, when asked by the actress to tell the truth why Olivier is "being mean", said that "it's because he's a great actor who wants to be a film star, and you're a film star who wants to be a great actress."

Much like every other man around Monroe--as the film suggests--Clark falls in love despite also being involved with Lucy (Emma Watson), a girl who works in the costume department. At the beck and call of Monroe, Clark becomes a willing boy-Friday and he enjoys it with the actress by going on a walk at the park, a castle visit, and skinny-dipping.

We then see a transformation in Monroe as she hits her stride during the rest of the filming as whatever depression or insecurity she may have been going through was suddenly gone and Williams begins to blossom on-screen.

Branagh as the oft-frustrated director and actor was simply effective as Olivier. He handled going back-and-forth from praising and criticizing Monroe very well. So too is Zoe Wanamaker who plays the role of Paula Strasberg, Monroe's acting coach. The ambiguity of whether there is something more to the relationship between the two is certainly a nice touch.

The little sub-plot between Lucy and Clark, however, honestly feels a little lost in the entirety of the film. It would have been nice if tension was developed between them but Lucy seemed all too happy by just being noticed in the first place. And then again, this story is based on real events as accounted in Clark's journal. Lucy nevertheless tries to make herself relevant by summing up Clark's ill-fated affair with Monroe in a few words.

"My Week with Marilyn" will be shown exclusively at Ayala Mall Cinemas (Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 3, and Trinoma) starting Feb. 29.