Marilyn and Me

We all know that the story of Marilyn Monroe and Bobby Slatzer wasn't true but this is still a great film and a great actress (Susan Griffiths) she is the only actress to not only actually resemble her but to have captured the real woman Marilyn. It shows her as the very intelligent, beautiful girl she was not the dumb drugged out blonde so many try to portray her as. You get to know her as a real person.

This is a fun look at Marilyn and the late 40's early 50's. It's beautifully filmed and not too many continuity errors. There are some historical facts but it is mostly fiction. A fairytale but a very enjoyable movie.

This engrossing telemovie tells the story of the on again off again romance between Marilyn Monroe and writer Robert Slatzer. Whether or not the couple actually married briefly in 1953, as Slatzer claims, is immaterial to your enjoyment of this well directed, written and acted film. SUSAN GRIFFITHS is uncannily like Marilyn, but her performance goes beyond impersonation. She gives the young Marilyn great depth - her need to be loved, her selfishness, her ambition, her warmth - they're all here. And JESSE DABSON is equally fine as Slatzer - I'm surprised he isn't a better known actor. He makes Slatzer a very real person, easily seduced by the magic of Marilyn and therefore used by her as an emotional crutch whenever her career or love life is on the rocks. What this movie does is go beyond the real people portrayed to tell the story of all those people who find themselves used by those individuals who seem "blessed by the gods". The exceptionally talented, the exceptionally beautiful - the exceptional - are also often selfish, but their exceptionality makes it easy for them to use people. Slatzer appears to have been one of those "wind beneath my wings" people. I'm sure there are many more in the world - especially in Hollywood. Great movie, don't miss it!

Do I believe most of the things in this movie actually happened? Not at all. It is pretty well established at this point that Robert Slatzer met Marilyn Monroe once or twice, and that they were never good friends. (Allegedly, his number was not even in her personal phone book.)

However, I am so impressed by Susan Griffiths' portrayal that I can only take two stars off for the inaccuracy.

Not only is Griffiths the most accurate physical portrayal of Marilyn I have ever seen (indeed, other than a few bad wigs, she is often indistinguishable from the real woman), but this is one of very few biopics that portrays her as a real person rather than the character she put forth to the public.

Most portrayals are of Marilyn's characters. The dumb blondes; the sexy vamps with the breathless kitten voice. The real woman was nothing like this. In interviews she has a very soft, clear, pleasant voice, without any of the breeziness her characters had. She was reportedly very sunny and sweet, with a happy personality, and not the sad, used, victimized plaything who no one respected. Too many biopics show her as a tragic figure--no father, mother in an asylum, men using her at every turn, endless drug problems, divorces, and difficulty in becoming a mother. In reality she was so much more than that. I am pleased that this movie showed her in this enjoyable light.

In this portrayal, Marilyn knows what she wants and goes out to get it. She uses Bobby (a real figure in a fictitious story) to further her career, but not in a mean or vindictive way; she truly does love him. Sometimes things don't go her way, and she is disappointed or sad, but she makes things right again. It is so refreshing to see Marilyn Monroe portrayed this way.

The storyline is mainly fabrication. There are a few scenes that ring true to what others have claimed (her flinging herself onto Johnny Hyde's casket, her quoting lines from plays, her kindness toward the mother she was devoted to). But the main plot is pure fiction. Don't go into this thinking you are going to learn anything about Marilyn. But if you just want to watch an amazing portrayal in a lightweight and fun period piece, I highly recommend this.

I'm five minutes in, and have to turn this off. The problem with anyone playing Marilyn... is that no one has ever come close enough to her likeness, to make these movies worthwhile. Marilyn's magic was in her screen presence.. if someone could pull off a believable likeness, they'd be the next Marilyn Monroe. The woman playing her here..isn't nearly pretty enough, and doesn't come close to capturing her charm, her voice..her magic.

Michelle Williams did an admirable job, but she is like 4 foot 10 inches.. so one had to suspend disbelief while watching. I wish someone could do a good enough likeness to make watching one of these movies worthwhile.

Susan Griffiths who plays Norma Jean/Marilyn in this television film is uncanny in her portrait. I'm suprised she isn't better known. Besides being a dead ringer (no pun intended), Griffiths has the same inner light that made MM so unique. This is worth looking for.