My Week With Marilyn (2011)

A movie struck fan (Eddie Redmayne) desperately wants to work in the movies and gets his opportunity when he's hired as the third assistant on THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL starring Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) and Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh). Based on the diaries of Colin Clark, this "true" story comes across as artificial or, as I suspect, certainly exaggerated on the facts. The film is thoroughly enjoyable but it's probably not best to take its claims to accuracy to heart. The film doesn't reveal anything new about Marilyn that we didn't already know. But a brilliant, near astonishing performance by Williams as Monroe justifies the film's existence. Williams nails Monroe's vulnerability, her persona and wisely chose to eschew an imitation of Monroe. What she does is inhabit Monroe and beautifully so. Alas, what she can't do is duplicate Monroe's iconic screen presence. Branagh makes for an effective Olivier. Directed by Simon Curtis. The supporting cast includes Judi Dench as Dame Sybil Thorndike, Julia Ormond as Vivien Leigh, Dougray Scott as Arthur Miller, Zoe Wanamaker as Paula Strasberg as well as Dominic Cooper, Derek Jacobi, Michael Kitchen and Emma Watson of HARRY POTTER fame.