My Week with Marilyn is a charming and poignant biographical drama that offers a unique, intimate peek behind the curtain of Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe. Based on the memoirs of Colin Clark, the film focuses on a brief, unforgettable period in 1956 when Monroe was in England filming The Prince and the Showgirl.
The story is told through the eyes of the earnest and ambitious Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), a young film student desperate to get a job in the movie business.
He lands a low-level position on the set of the highly anticipated film, which is being directed by and starring the great Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh).
The set is immediately thrown into turmoil by the arrival of Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams), who is accompanied by her new husband, famed playwright Arthur Miller.
Monroe’s unpredictable temperament, chronic lateness, and deep-seated insecurities clash constantly with Olivier’s traditional theatrical discipline, creating a high-pressure, emotionally charged environment.
The film vividly portrays the conflict between the delicate, vulnerable woman Marilyn actually is and the dazzling, self-destructive superstar the world expects her to be. As her marriage to Miller begins to fracture under the stress of the production, Colin unexpectedly finds himself becoming Monroe’s confidant and escort.
Over a brief, magical period, Colin attempts to show Marilyn a normal, quiet life away from the Hollywood circus and the demands of the film set.
This unexpected connection is the emotional core of the film, providing a tender look at the person behind the myth.
The stellar ensemble cast includes Dominic Cooper, Julia Ormond, Emma Watson, and the legendary Judi Dench, who provide rich context to the British film world Monroe struggles to navigate.
Michelle Williams in My Week with Marilyn (Photo/The Weinstein Company)
Reception for My Week with Marilyn
My Week with Marilyn grossed $2.1 million on its opening weekend, finishing 12th at the box office.
The film would gross $35.1 million worldwide.
Roger Ebert gave the film three and a half out of four stars in his review.
Legacy
The film’s enduring legacy is Williams’s extraordinary, Oscar-nominated portrayal of Marilyn, capturing both the explosive charisma and the fragile humanity beneath the icon’s surface.
My Week with Marilyn succeeds as a graceful tribute to the ephemeral nature of fame and the private cost paid by those who become world-famous legends.
