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john1953
Reviews
My Week with Marilyn (2011)
Marilyn Monroe Hair Believable
If you know what Marilyn Monroe looked like and sounded like, then you will have to constantly remind yourself that Michelle Williams is trying to portray her. There is no resemblance between the two actresses other than the hair. Williams would have been better match to Ethel Merman. It is unfortunate that with all the females on the planet that can actually pass for the late screen queen, Simon Curtis and company could have chosen a more suitable match for the great MM. Williams must have been the first to audition and Curtis said "Close enough. Hire her and let's get this over with."
As for the movie itself, it was not too bad. The Colin Clark character saved the film from being a total disappointment. And Kenneth Branagh's embodiment of Lawrence Olivier was also a saving grace. Though Branagh only remotely looks like Sir Lawrence, Branagh performance shined with the essence of Olivier.
The script was fair enough to maintain interest, but, once again, every time Michelle Williams was on camera, I had to remind myself that she is suppose to be Marilyn Monroe.
Never a Dull Moment (1968)
Read the Book
Although the movie is saved by Dick Van Dyke and Edward G. Robinson, it is not nearly as entertaining as "A Thrill a Minute With Jack Albany" (original book title). The movie brought on smiles whereas the book had me laughing out loud. If you haven't seen the movie or read the book, watch the movie first. The hilarity will quadruple from the screen to the page. {Best that way instead of the reverse) If you plan on enjoying only one, then take the book over the film. An excellent job of converting what was written to the cinema. Dick Van Dyke was Jack Albany. No one else could come to mind when picturing the character. But I'm a sucker for most of Van Dyke's stuff. He's best playing some form of Rob Petrie, from Bye Bye Birdie to Some Kind of Nut.