My Week With Marilyn

While working for an increasingly exasperated Laurence Olivier (Kenneth Branagh) in 1957, a fragile Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams) gets a brief tour of England from an eager young production assistant (Eddie Redmayne). Adapted by Adrian Hodges from Colin Clark’s books, TV veteran director Simon Curtis’ film feels forgivably slight; it’s a fond appreciation of glamour and of course a showpiece for Williams, who makes a fine study of the Marilyn persona. We glimpse both the effort required to maintain it and the reasons why a woman might endure such effort. Branagh enjoys himself, Redmayne stays out of the way, and Judi Dench and Emma Watson co-star, warmly.