Rarely do movies live up to the promise of a good trailer, let alone manage to exceed the expectations it fosters.
Wow.
“My Week With Marilyn” is that rare treat. As the castaway diva, awash in expectations and fantasies of others, Michelle Williams breaks our hearts. Her breathy sensuality barely covers up her devastating and paralyzing fears; rather, it calls attention to the ghastly sexism endemic in show business which made and destroyed her.
But that’s not what this movie is about, really. This movie reminds us how devastating falling in love can be and, at the same time, why we should never stop taking that chance. No matter what the cost. All told, “My Week…” delivers what my mother called a “seven hankie” movie. As the young star-struck Colin Clark, Eddie Redvayne does earnest naivety heart-achingly well, while Kenneth Branagh evokes a most prissy and stuffy Lawrence Olivier.
I admit, I went to see this movie for one additional reason: I needed to see how Emma Watson conducted herself without a safety net. She didn’t disappoint me one bit, but I never forgot Hermione Granger.
Especial kudos must be aimed towards Dame Judi Dench who, as Dame Sybil, a doyenne of theater, goes out of her way to make all but the priggish feel comfortable and loved.
I can’t recommend “My Week…” highly enough. The acting, the direction, and the period music all add up to one hell of a movie.
