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Marilyn: The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe (Lifetime)

Christi

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Christi

Christi

(edited)

Moral of the story: Men suck and her mom is nuts

I really thought this was amazing. Much better than I thought!

Susan Serandon as her mom? Cast is pretty amazing for a Lifetime movie....I thought anyway. Loved it!

Edited by Christi
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Wings

Wings

I loved it too and looking forward to part two.  She did an excellent job doing Marilyn and looked so much like her, especially in the early brown haired era.  

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Lola43

Lola43

This was much better than the Whitney, Brittany Murphy and Versace movies. It helps that Kelli Garner bears a real resemblance and has the voice and mannerisms down.

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Almost 3000

Almost 3000

Kelli Garner is as said above nailing it as MM. I'm glad posters here are saying this because the last few Lifetime events have been so bad that I was doubting myself thinking that this was pretty good and exactly what I expect of Lifetime. Sarandon is as always good too. Looking forward to tonight's finale.

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CMH1981

CMH1981

(edited)

This movie was great, and I agree Kelli deserves some award recognition, but the Emmys are going to be tough this year...You have Frances McDormand for Olive Kittridge (check this movie out if you haven't seen it and you will see why she is the front-runner) and Queen Latifah for Bessie.  I wouldn't be surprised if they don't put Susan Sarandon in the lead actress field for this movie as well...it seems to be her movie just as much as Kelli's.  Kelli, Susan, and Emily all brought it.

 

Why isn't Emily Watson getting more mainstream roles.  Some network needs to get her on a series and stat.

Edited by CMH1981
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Jade Foxx

Jade Foxx

(edited)

I loved it! Although I couldn't catch some of the dialogue, due to Kelly's whisper talk moments.

 

And I was always under the impression the JFK and Marilyn were a thing - not just a one time hit it-and-quit-it!

 

Her marriage to Miller was pretty harsh.

 

Poor Marilyn. Such a smart, tough, vulnerable, tragic cookie.

Edited by Jade Foxx
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Dejana

Dejana

(edited)

I loved it! Although I couldn't catch some of the dialogue, due to Kelly's whisper talk moments.

And I was always under the impression the JFK and Marilyn were a thing - not just a one time hit it-and-quit-it!

Her marriage to Miller was pretty harsh.

Poor Marilyn. Such a smart, tough, vulnerable, tragic cookie.

Wellll.... It really depends on which biography you read. Between all the different Marilyn and Kennedy bios, you'll find that she and JFK didn't hook up at all, or a few times over several years, but she was delusional and drunk dialing the White House and getting Jackie, so he got Bobby to deal with MM and they had the real "love affair", or didn't, and it's just jealous ex-friends cut off by the Kennedys who ran around claiming the worst of them, combined with vague acquaintances of Marilyn calling themselves "confidantes" and getting book deals by trotting out whatever gossipy tidbits they supposedly saw and heard about Marilyn and the Kennedy brothers. Sometimes it's a very thin line between biography and real-person fanfic.

Is this a Lifetime original? Was this so good because all the main players depicted onscreen are dead and they don't have families laywered up to block the controversial elements from being shown? I hope Kelli Garner gets an Emmy nod at least but a basic cable Marilyn Monroe biopic might be very 1990s to the nominating committee.

Edited by Dejana
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ennui

ennui

I found this by accident, just clicking around. I think Kelly did an excellent job, right down to the way Marilyn would frown a little (see: Bus Stop).  

 

I really liked a lot of the dialogue ... Marilyn fighting with Zanuck over Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ("I'm the blonde!").

 

I think Joe DiMaggio was white-washed a little, but I believe he did love her. The actor was certainly handsome enough.

 

Overall, really enjoyed it.

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pasdetrois

pasdetrois

I thought this was a mixed bag. Garner clearly nailed the MM impersonations, but the actual acting was hit or miss. I thought her scenes with the new psychiatrist were the strongest.

 

I wonder if she was ALWAYS on - always vamping, flirting, posing...years ago I read an MM biography that stated she had periods of extreme sloth, such as going to try on clothes without good hygiene.

 

I also wonder why this production completely avoided the abuse that Marilyn suffered as a child, in foster homes. Maybe because it wasn't proven, and some of those people are still alive.

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ennui

ennui

(edited)

I thought her scenes with the new psychiatrist were the strongest.

 

Based on the clothing she was wearing, those scenes reminded me of her final photo shoot on the beach with Bert Stern. I remember that sweater Kelly wore in one scene, even though I can't find any of the real images online (copyright, I assume) but I remember seeing them years ago in a magazine. So, I suspect the 'psychiatrist' was a doppelganger for Bert.

 

Or, I suppose the more  obvious answer is that the psychologist is us, the audience. I don't care for oversimplification.

Edited by ennui
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methodwriter85

methodwriter85

I thought it was well done, certainly better than the other recent Lifetime Biopics like Whitney Loves Bobby and The Vaguely Brittany Murphy Story. I think it helps that this doesn't look like it was filmed for 50 dollars on a 10-day filming schedule.

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bubbls

bubbls

I have been wanting to read a bit more about her since finding out some interesting tidbits about her here and there over the years. I'm looking forward to watching this. Was this movie based on a book? Are there any good books about Marilyn out there? There are so many to choose from.

One of my favorites is "The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe" by J. Randy Taraborrelli. I don't agree with some of his conclusions, but it's a sympathetic look at her that reveals her as being human like the rest of us; flawed but real, with good and bad character traits. He also reveals a lot of information regarding her relationship with her mother that I did not know.

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Linderhill

Linderhill

The mini series is based on Taraborrelli's book.  I haven't read it but the man seems to write alot of celebrity biographies. 

 

After finishing watching this over the weekend I found myself googling Marilyn and finding out some interesting things.  Apparently she's got a half sister who also wrote a book about her famous sister.  They didn't know about each other until Berniece was 19.  "My Sister Marilyn" by Berniece Baker Miracle and Mona Rae Baker (Berniece's daughter).  I'm contemplating looking for it because it promises to have a different look at the woman's life. 

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bubbls

bubbls

The mini series is based on Taraborrelli's book.  I haven't read it but the man seems to write alot of celebrity biographies

I just watched the mini series and realized this. I didn't know that when I suggested the book, which I'm amused by. However, the book is much better than the mini series, and if I'm remembering correctly, the mini series takes several liberties with the story that are not in the book. The book does say MM was having auditory hallucinations, which I was and am skeptical of. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the book in spite of the things I disagreed with.

I read " my Sister Marilyn" around the same time. It's very good too. Both books humanize MM.

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