Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne),an employee of Sir Laurence Olivier's, documents the tense interaction between Olivier and Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) during production of "The Prince and the Showgirl".

I must say up front that I was thoroughly disappointed by this film. I was not expecting an unforgettable experience, but it just was not anything special. Even Michelle Williams, who was nominated for best actress, was not as great I thought she could be. (Her performance in "Blue Valentine" far exceeded her job here.)

If I can say anything good about this film (and it is not a bad movie, just not a great one) it would be how it showed the tragic life of Marilyn Monroe. Unable to commit to men, unable to act or be seen as anything other than sexy... and the pills. Monroe was not an actress to be emulated, and her becoming an icon is unfortunate.

This movie recounts the pairing of Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) and Sir Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) through the eyes of newbie Colin Clark (Eddie Redmayne). It's 1956 and Olivier is making 'The Prince and the Showgirl' with his own production company. He has gotten the biggest star on the planet but her insecurities threaten the production at every turn. Colin Clark is 23 from a well-to-do family and siblings who excel. He's the black sheep and wants to be in the film business. Through perseverance, he gets his first job as the third assistant director which is basically the bottom rung in the crew. He befriends Monroe and becomes the only one who could truly connect with her.

The story is somewhat fascinating for film buffs and Monroe fans. I don't know if the target audience goes much further than that. Michelle Williams fans can take heart in her performance. She really turns it on at times. When Monroe shows Clark her facade, she's basically playing two characters at the same time. Like the 1957 movie, the Monroe character overshadows this movie. It puts into doubt why anybody cares about Colin Clark. A straight Monroe movie may even be better. The movie does capture how powerful her image is at the time and her struggle with nerves.

I never really had much interest in seeing this movie. I am not a person who thinks Marilyn Monroe is one of the greatest actresses of all time, and I ASSUMED the film was some sort of tribute to her. However, this really isn't what the film turned out to be. While it did have to do with the actress, it was not some sort of schmaltzy bio-pic--it had meat to it. And, incidentally, some darn fine acting.

The movie is specifically about the production of the movie "The Prince and the Showgirl". The star/director, Laurence Olivier, did NOT like working with Monroe and found her very temperamental and unprofessional--and he voiced great regret for having done the movie with her. This isn't in the film--this is part of movie history (some of which can be found in the IMDb trivia for that film). However, what "My Week With Marilyn" helps the viewer to understand is what was occurring and why. While Marilyn was a mess and slowed production to a crawl, you see in the film is isn't because of any malevolence on her part--just a lot of baggage, insecurity and mental illness. I never particularly cared about her before--but as I watched Michelle Williams play her, I found myself on the verge of tears several times--she was a very gifted but sadly damaged young lady.

What I liked about the film was just about everything. I loved the colors chosen for the film--lots of muted colors (such as khaki) to give it a 1950s look. I loved the interesting script based on Colin Clark's book. I particularly the acting--Williams and Kenneth Branagh (as Olivier) were exceptional---such that I soon forgot that they were not the actual actors. Marvelous and I particularly am pulling for Williams with her Best Actress nomination--she was just dynamite. Well worth seeing--particularly for folks like me who are classic movie fans and have seen "The Prince and the Showgirl".