Marilyn's Man

First off, my wife is a huge Marilyn fan and she though Jim Dougherty came off as a bitter ex-husband trying to make a name for him because at one point in his life, he was with someone who became somebody.

The film itself is filled with tons of images of Marilyn, as well as some hard to find footage. Jim does share some cute stories about Norma Jeanne. However, for the most part, the movie is about Jim. (Not a problem there, it IS what the title implies). There is some obligatory butt-kissing to his current wife, who has to live with the fact that her husband was once married to the most glamorous woman ever born.

Personal opinions about the subject matter aside, this movie pretty much sums up what I don't care for in independent films. The score was terrible. Much of the movie felt like a wannabe film student making a home video on his computer with the help of a "for any user of any skill" video editing program, complete with static image slides and canned fade-ins. The intro scene with "Norma Jeanne" (played by an actress who couldn't look less like Norma jean or Marilyn" was easily one of the most painful experiences I have ever had sitting in a theater. Even worse than watching Two Towers in the first row on the far right of the theater.

I was easily embarrassed enough by seeing it to make up for the entire rest of the audience. When there is no dialogue, no speaking at all, and all you have to do is write and walk around, there is really no excuse for poor acting, yet the actress managed to pull it off anyway.

I truly did not enjoy this movie, and would not in good conscience recommend it to anyone. 2 out of ten. They would get a 1, but I figure some props are due because they actually got it off the ground with next to no budget.