My Week with Marilyn

The only compelling reason to see Simon Curtis's lukewarm My Week with Marilyn is Michelle Williams. She is made up to look like Marilyn Monroe, obviously, but beyond that, Williams exudes the star's beguiling mix of sexual confidence and fragile vulnerability. The film is based on two memoirs by Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne), who worked for Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) during the production of The Prince and the Showgirl and appears to have milked this brief experience for all it was worth. Though Showgirl was a minor movie in terms of the careers of both Olivier and Monroe, there's a compelling story to be told here, about the conflict between the actor-director's traditional view of acting and the starlet's devotion to the Method. But Branagh's blustery performance is surprisingly cartoonish, and Olivier never comes to life the way Monroe does. The focus is more on Clark's flirtation with the star, and there's just not much there beyond a privileged, somewhat-nebbishy young man's fantasy. There are the hangers-on, the drugs, the breakdown, and, in Clark's eyes, he's the only one who understands Monroe, but there's little depth to the tale. Williams' fascinating performance is the only thing that elevates it beyond your typical TV biopic.