My Week With Marilyn

My Week With Marilyn is a compelling look at Marilyn Monroe's insecurities - but Michelle Williams doesn't fully convince as the film legend.

This is a trifle of a film about a trifle of a film. But trifles can be appealing, especially English trifles, and this one is no exception.

I believe the heart of the film, and the cleverest stroke of all, is Eddie Redmayne as Colin Clark, someone few of us will have heard of.

Most of all, without a shadow of a doubt or a moment's hesitation, I can state for the record Michelle Williams is sublime as the titular central figure, deftly crafting a performance that easily ranks as one of the best of the entire year.

That's all familiar lore but, to his credit, director Simon Curtis lays out these separate ambitions and conflicting tensions with breezy dispatch in the early frames.

This indifferently shot film winds up being another in a long line of creative works by men that exploit the legacy of Marilyn Monroe for their own satisfaction and little public good.

Williams makes the most of her underwritten role by giving a performance that proves to be the film’s raison d’être.

Unfortunately it doesn’t use its uniqueness to create something special.

Michelle Williams' finest performance...

Boasts brilliant performances and whimsical humor, but even the most emotional and poignant encounters don't offer the lasting impact of an immersive connection.