Williams is the reason to see 'Marilyn'
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GRADE • B-
DVD •Michelle Williams' portrayal of Marilyn Monroe in "My Week With Marilyn" is a revelation. Williams doesn't really look like Monroe, but she channels the blonde bombshell's sensuality and insecurity — and how her creation of the Monroe persona was both a shield and a trap.
It's too bad there's not much of a movie built around Williams' performance. The story is a credulity-straining trifle, centering on a gofer (blandly portrayed by Eddie Redmayne), who became Monroe's confidant at a British studio while filming "The Prince and the Showgirl" directed by and co-starring Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh).
Revel in Williams' performance, and forget the rest.
— Sean P. Means