Last night my sister and I decided to walk up the street to Clay Theater. It’s a one-movie theater and the film playing was My Week with Marilyn. I ended up really enjoying the movie.

Michelle Williams as Marilyn

My sister with the movie poster

I have to confess that I’ve had a soft spot for Michelle Williams ever since her role in Dawson’s Creek. Her character was more complex, interesting and likable than Katie Holmes and I’ve kind of adored her ever since. She plays a lovely Marilyn Monroe. She gets her voice and flirtatiousness down pat and is a joy to watch on screen as an actress playing an actress.

Marilyn’s Tortured Side

The film does a terrific job of looking at Marilyn Monroe’s tortured side, focusing almost entirely on her insecurities and her neediness of the men in her life. To be honest, I guess I don’t know all that much about Marilyn Monroe. I have some general knowledge that somehow seeped in through basic pop culture awareness and I definitely knew about these insecurities but I haven’t seen her movies or read long biographies of her so my knowledge is a little limited. This portrayal of her made me more interested in reading up on her in the future.

The Love Story

Ultimately this film is a story of young love. It’s about a twenty three year old man who gets lured in by the combination of Marilyn’s stunning beauty and her apparent need to be saved by a man. Their affair (reportedly a true story) lasted only a few days and was a really juvenile, innocent affair. However, the man’s feelings were certainly strong and it gives great insight into that intensity and wonder and passion that accompanies young love, the kind of time in life when it’s totally okay to feel completely consumed by another person and want to change your entire world for them.

Conclusion: Definitely a film worth watching. Lovely acting. Lovely story. Honest, touching without being melodramatic.

Tags: films, marilyn monroe, movies, my life with marilyn