On N List of Movie Reviews
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Norma Jean and Marilyn (1996)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
10/20
10/20:
People know what Marilyn Monroe looked like, but they don't know the real her, hence the film Norma Jean and Marilyn.
It's often fascinating although highly inaccurate. Understandably, there's so much material that it's difficult to get
them all in a two-hour picture. To make up for the shortcoming, Ashley Judd and Mira Sorvino provide a collaborative effort for
a tour de force.
They're both outstanding in different ways. I love the idea of making Ashley's Norma the destructive ego for Mira's
Marilyn during the second half. It's effective, compelling, and perhaps crazy.
Although Marilyn Monroe was verbally and physically abused by various men over the years, I still can't sympathize with
her; it's the price of fame she asked for which ultimately did her in. In reality, Marilyn Monroe was more of a whore than
anything. The most fascinating part is what happened in the dressing room prior to Marilyn singing "Happy
Birthday" to JFK. Then, I watched the actual footage of the famous moment, and now, it does make sense. She would die
three months afterwards.
If anything, apart from the casting of the actor for the Joe DiMaggio part, I'm disappointed with the ending because JFK
and RFK had Marilyn Monroe killed (a doctor injected air through her pubic area which caused an embolism). When Marilyn asked
Joe DiMaggio to get her immediately, he was going to by coming to Cal Neva a few days prior but got ordered by Frank Sinatra
not to.
Why it did have to occur is Marilyn was going to spill the dark secrets to the media about the Kennedys. JFK
promised to divorce his wife and marry her. RFK was also banging Marilyn at the same time, so the murder meant one thing:
they needed to shut her up permanently or risk a huge scandal that would topple them out of power. Happily, these
corrupt brothers died in the next seven years under bizarre circumstances.
All in all, I'm not a fan of Marilyn Monroe, but Norma Jean and Marilyn is a good movie.