The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe (2015) User Reviews

Nothing New Revealed About Marilyn...

[MovieHoliks · 6/10 · 8 June 2015]

Over the years, there have been countless movies about screen icon, Marilyn Monroe, so I was not really all that excited about getting to see this latest one- a Lifetime TV mini-series, that is- until I heard Kelli Garner was starring in the lead. I've seen her in several things over the years, and remember thinking- long before this movie- that, even though she doesn't really resemble Marilyn, she still has that similar spirit; especially in a little movie I saw her in years ago called "DreamLand".

Now this movie doesn't really give us anything new about Ms. Monroe; in fact, pretty much re-hashes what we all have seen over and over again in the movies released about her in the past few decades. And BTW- I would say my favs. over the years have been "Blonde", which featured Poppy Montgomery in the lead, and the wonderful experimental HBO film, "Normal Jean & Marilyn", which featured Mira Sorvino & Ashley Judd in the dual personas. I saw the last one, "My Week with Marilyn", a few years ago- which was probably the one which featured the highest production values of all of them. It's funny, overall I liked that film better than this new Lifetime film, but I like Kelli Garner better in the role than Michelle Williams. There are shots in this film, especially while she is making "Seven Year Itch", where she was just the spitting image- I had to do a double take!

But I will give this a marginal recommendation- only for Garner's performance. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (as Joe DiMaggio), Emily Watts, Jack Noseworthy, and Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (as Marilyn/Norma Jean's mother) co-star.

Casting is Everything

[bkzsmith · 8/10 · 1 June 2015]

Finally, an actress who captures Marilyn Monroe in all her mannerisms, voice, looks, personality (Kelli Garner). Previous Monroe portrayals are easily forgotten in light of this lovely reproduction of the tragic star's vulnerability, charm, sexiness & spunk. Why did it take so long? Susan Sarandon as mother Gladys is also excellent & typical of Sarandon's professionalism in playing a supporting role with grace and class. The other players are well cast where it matters most: looks, demeanor, voice, such as Pat Kennedy Lawford with a Boston accent. Joe DiMaggio is lean and angular; Arthur Miller smokes a pipe. Not to simplify the elements of writing and direction, but as I said, previous Monroe biopics have failed at the most elemental level: when Marilyn is in front of the camera, she'd better be a decent reincarnation. This movie nailed it.

Thoughtful Biopic

[jcfaust57 · 7/10 · 3 June 2015]

MM is a tough subject, clouded by 50 years of conjecture, misinformation and the subject's own spin and inconsistency.

That said, after 50 years of tireless reading and watching every foot of available film concerning MM, this is the first commentary worth viewing and rumination. There is something uncanny about Ms. Garner's portrayal and it matters little whether or not she looks like MM or not. No one will ever 'look' like Monroe anymore than anyone will 'look' like Abe Lincoln. She had the depth of character, the attitude, the walk and most importantly, the vocal cadence. Emily Watson and Susan Sarandon steal the show as they would wont to do in a project of this nature. However, Garner holds her own.

Robert Mitchum said it best about his friend and coworker when he said that Marilyn's biggest mistake was that she "burlesqued it", and burlesque was a slippery slope in Hollywood at that time. Monroe played burlesque so well, people believed it. Unfortunately MM was probably not equipped to withstand the foul misogyny that went along with post war attitudes toward any woman who was not properly corseted and house dressed, into submission.

If MM wouldn't have conjured the wherewithal to crack the studio system in 1950, she'd have ended up a depressed and divorced house wife in the Valley, with a mentally ill mother to support. For those of us who have dealt with mental illness in the family, this show is treading on new ground. That is the zeitgeist that Garner and Sarandon nail. MM was a fish out of water, which is the reason why we are all mesmerized to this day. For better or for worse she was her own woman, with no peer, before or since.

It is also worth mentioning that the costumes, makeup and set designs are spot on. The dreamy and disconcerting saturated colors and Noir lighting become good compliments to the spirit of the production and add good tension.

Kudos to Garner who did her homework and made this old MM aficionado squirm in his seat a few times, for all of the right reasons. DiMaggio probably said it best, by saying nothing and letting his actions do the talking.

Not perfect but well worth taking in, and a huge step forward from the usual Lifetime tripe.

Supporting Cast Makes it Worthwhile

[libpuc · 7/10 · 2 October 2016]

I enjoyed this mostly for the stellar supporting performances by Jeffrey Dean Morgan as a much-sexier-than-real-life Joe DiMaggio, Stephen Bogaert as Arthur Miller, Tamara Hickey as Pat Kennedy Lawford and Susan Sarandon as Marilyn's mother, Gladys. They all made what is basically a run-of-the-mill Lifetime movie worthwhile.

Kelli Garner, in the main role as Marilyn Monroe, gives a breathy impression of Marilyn's famous speaking voice, but not much else. She never really conveys the conflict and pain of being Marilyn. It's like she's doing a celebrity impression instead of really becoming the character.

I know that it was made for basic cable and so they couldn't show much during the sex scenes, but it is particularly laughable when Marilyn and Joe DiMaggio are supposed to be having hot sex on a hotel bed but she leaves on her very visible granny panties and he doesn't even pull down his trousers, resulting in Morgan lying on top of Garner fully clothed while they grunt away. Surely the director could have found some way to make it look plausible that they might actually be having sex without offending the network censors.

Interesting effort

[bbewnylorac · 7/10 · 4 August 2017]

The cast of this biopic really commit to this quite serious examination of what made Marilyn Monroe tick. The costumes and sets are impeccable, and understated. As Monroe, Kelli Garner is outstanding. She manages to maintain that strangely childlike voice and outward naivete, combined with a voluptuous, camp sexuality and curiously strong personality. The script portrays her as much more complex than her public image - as ambitious, and willing to stand up for herself in her career, and also in her love life. There's enormous sympathy for Marilyn's terrible childhood, with not much love or guidance. She did succeed as an actor for many years, and she did have some successful relationships. But she had that strong self destructive streak. Like Amy Winehouse, Marilyn didn't have quite enough strength to survive. This series is way too wordy - it's at times more like a play than a TV mini-series. It could have run for half the time it does. It's determined to depict every little detail of her life, and that gets tiring in the end.

Wonderful Way to Spend a Day

[julia-960-805645 · 9/10 · 25 July 2017]

This was an excellent mini series that did a good job stringing together an assortment of Marilyn's life, albeit not all of it. But my, that would be impossible. I think they did a great job at creating a narrative with what they could, and that Kelli Garner was absolutely wonderful. She captured the nuances of Marilyn in a way no other actress has quite been able to.

A great Marilyn Monroe Movie based on her Life

[pjpleon · 10/10 · 8 June 2015]

It was such a nice change to see a movie of Marilyn Monroe depicting her personal life and struggles.I have read many many books on Marilyn and I thought this was spot on. Congratulations to Lifetime Movies. Also congratulations to Kelli Garner and Susan Sarandon. It was difficult for Susan as in real life Marilyn did not spend a lot of time with her mother. Apparently Marilyn always lived with a fear of inheriting her mother's mental illness. It was also nice to still enjoy a movie on Marilyn Monroe after such a long time after her death.I believe Kelli captured Marilyn's voice extremely well. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to others for viewing. Thanks!!!

Michelle Williams still the only one who gave us a real image of MM

[waelkatkhuda · 5/10 · 17 February 2016]

From the beginning i wasn't happy when i heard about this project, and that is for an important reason : Marilyn Monroe's life is like Anna Karenina which is impossible to capture in only two hours or even two episodes ( even she only lived for 36 years) u cant make it in this short hours so the best thing for this case is to capture every important thing as a movie ( just like My week with Marilyn 2011) starring Michelle Williams. so in the future i recommend film makers for example to shoot a whole movie about the Misfits 1961 etc. the second big problem is the actress who played Marilyn in this film (Kelli Garner) she doesn't look like MM , she isn't pretty and even doesn't act like the real Marilyn God sake. I recommend who wants to film a thing about marilyn to read biographies about her and listen to documentaries cause there are a lot of long mistake for ex: when Marilyn met the life magazine journalist it was totally in a different way , and when she went out of the hospital Joe DiMaggio wasn't with here it was Pat Newcomb .

A Failure Except For A Single Supporting Performance

[jlthornb51 · 8/10 · 31 May 2015]

This is a rather shoddy production that at times seems outright exploitation. Kelli Garner is not much of an actress, looks nothing like Monroe, and does a terrible imitation of her iconic voice. Susan Sarandon is surprisingly bad in the role of her mentally ill mother and it's some of the worst work she has ever done. The other actors do what is required of them and while this is all interesting at times, overall it isn't very enlightening. The standout in all of this is Emily Watson as Marilyn's aunt. As is often the case, Watson rises above a travesty and walks out of the ruins with her head held high. Wells she might for she not only gives a superb performance but brings a touch of real class to the proceedings. She gives her part a depth and humanity that's absent in the other characters that populate this film. For her moving and beautiful portrayal alone this lackluster mess is awarded 6 additional stars to the 2 it deserves on its own merits.

putrid piece of garbage

[ldavis-2 · 3/10 · 7 June 2015]

I'd copy-and-paste "putrid piece of garbage" like a broken record, but there are a few things which need to be said about this putrid piece of garbage:

* Dougherty has Marilyn's mother hauled off by the cops after she knocks down their bedroom door, brandishing a kitchen knife? If you buy that, I've got some oceanfront property in Arizona for sale!

* Marilyn basing "Marilyn Monroe" on a cigarette girl whom she sees seductively selling a boy a pack of gum? Rrriiiggghhhttt.

* No proof Dougherty ever called her "crazy like your mother" or threatened to take her to a "head doctor".

* Her first screen test/contract happened after she divorced Dougherty.

* No proof Tom Kelley knew Joseph Schenck, much less, wrangled her an invite to Schenck's "poker party".

* No proof her drug dependency began with Johnny Hyde feeding her uppers like they were candy.

* She rehearses a dance routine from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" before she meets DiMaggio. In fact, she learned she got "Blondes" on her 26th birthday, after she met DiMaggio.

* She and DiMaggio met on a blind date at Chasen's, not at some dive where a brunette is ready to pounce on him. And the real date did not wind up like this one does. A figment of the filmmakers' warped imaginations.

* The DiMaggio dinner table is headed by his parents. He tells Marilyn when they run into each other after their divorce "my folks ask about you all the time". DiMaggio's parents died before he met Marilyn.

* Marilyn saying Peter Lawford's much-better half, aka JFK's sister, is everything she wants to be? Too funny.

* DiMaggio and Marilyn get jiggy with it after running into each other while she has drinks with Peter Lawford's much-better half, aka JFK's sister while still married to Arthur Miller, AND with the disapproval of Peter Lawford's much-better half, aka JFK's sister? In the filmmakers' warped imaginations. They did run into each other in Reno while she was filming "The Misfits", but she had her posse in tow, and, needless to say, there was no getting jiggy with it.

* No mention of DiMaggio's son or Miller's two children, all of whom she was very close to.

* Miller a passive-aggressive prick who blames Marilyn for killing their unborn child? Any takers for that oceanfront property in Arizona yet?

* No mention of her trip to Korea?! Are you kidding?!

* DiMaggio had a warm relationship with Eunice Murray, who found Marilyn dead (at least they got THAT right!) Threatening to sack her if she doesn't clean Marilyn's pig sty of a bedroom? Pure fiction.

* The real Marilyn was right-handed.

I should have copied-and-pasted "putrid piece of garbage" like a broken record.

I found Kelly's role entertaining

[Johnghl · 8/10 · 11 May 2017]

I was glad that when plot involving the mental side of Marilyn the movie didn't include any wield scenes about mental hospitals. Some trivia about mental hospitals. Most of or even possibly all of the people admitted to a mental hospital smoke cigarettes. That to me should be a near secondary concern next to other health issues cigarettes have on the body but is ignored mostly by all the worldly public. Most mental people on a day to day basis cope with being there almost as well as any student in a regular school so on that level it's difficult to tell the difference between whatever intense crazy and normal. Mental drugs vary from intense effect with the thought of how did they ever get legal to others with very little or no effect all. A very popular approved mental drug with no effect is paliperidone, the most being a feeling of a gentler emotion, gentler more so with the injection style compared to the pill style and it costs $1800 to $2900 for a 90 day supply. Enough of that. I have the Marilyn movie on DVD transferred to PC hard drive. The first time I watched it non stop from beginning to end and I've sorta watched the beginning for a second time. The movie is entertaining and Kelly does a good job being Marilyn, her voice being very likable. Susan does a good good as her mother and she is a very believable mental patient. One goes away from the movie with a much greater understanding of Marilyn's private life. I'm glad I have the movie memory.

***1/2

[edwagreen · 9/10 · 2 June 2015]

Kelli Garner does an admirable job in this biography of tragic screen legend Marilyn Monroe. Did anyone notice that early in the career of Monroe, Garner sounded just like Monroe did as Sugar in "Some Like it Hot?" Unfortunately, no mention was made of 'Hot' in the film as well as "Niagara," where Monroe did a solid dramatic role.

The use of flashbacks is used nicely here as Monroe recounts her life story to a new therapist. We already see that Monroe had been around the block in therapy and knew a lot about Freudian psychology.

Susan Sarandon stole the show as her schizophrenic mother, devoid at times of reality, but protective of her famous daughter.

Jeffrey Dean Stanton shows us Joe DiMaggio in a different light-that of a wife beater and the Arthur Miller character is also abusive to the hilt.

While the Kennedy issue is discussed, Marilyn's death is blamed on drug and alcohol mixture. Marilyn came across as delusional imitating her mother and grandmother every step of the way.

Disappoitning superficial performances ruin this mini-series

[DreamyOneNumber1 · 2/10 · 31 May 2015]

I have to agree with the previous reviewer, jlthornb51. This production was shoddy and a great waste of my time. I kept hoping it would get better, but it seemed to get worse and worse. No offense to Kelli Garner, but much of the fault seems to lie with her "terrible imitation of MM's iconic voice" as jlthornb51 put it, along with her lack of acting skills. Any potential was ruined by the poor casting of Kelli Garner coupled with her much too superficial performance. Susan Sarandon's role seemed a little bit overplayed, but not terrible. Emily Watson gave a decent performance which had to be difficult to pull off, given all the other deficiencies she faced from the script to being forced to play against depthless performances of the other actors. Kudos to Emily Watson for pulling off a positive performance in the face of the otherwise boring overplayed production. Kelli Garner's superficial acting was almost like a caricature of MM, ruining the entire mini-series.

Kelli Garner becomes Marilyn!!

[HollywoodVixen90 · 10/10 · 24 August 2015]

I finally got around to watching this film after letting it sit it on my DVR for 4 months. Going into the film I wasn't quite sure what to expect because not many Lifetime movies are that great. However, Lifetime really hit it out of the ballpark with this one. I've read so much about Marilyn and her life and this movie was accurate to everything I've read about her. I'm usually a little leery when it comes to biopic films because you're never sure how the movie is going to portray the subject and their life. Lifetime nailed it with this one. The casting was perfect as well. Kelli Garner was the perfect choice to play Marilyn. She is the spitting image of Marilyn, and she even sounds like her! Susan Sarandon also did an excellent job as Marilyn's mother, Gladys. With this film, it's a if you're getting to know Marilyn on a personal level and I like that. I have no complaints at all about this film. If it ever comes out on DVD/Blu-ray I will definitely buy it and add it to my film collection. If your a fan of Marilyn Monroe or Old Hollywood, I highly recommend you watch this.

The secret life of Marilyn mother

[sarabernard-79872 · 1/10 · 4 April 2018]

Stupid min series with stupid actress who is trying hard to become Marilyn she looks more like a bad clown I felt pain every minute she was on the screen Susan is the only reason to watch this stupid show 1/10

virtues, sins...

[Kirpianuscus · 3 July 2016]

its virtues - the good intentions to present a realistic portrait of her life. reminds of memorable scenes. the admirable work of Susan Sarandon. the atmosphere. Emma Watson. the desire of Kelli Garner to be Marlyn Monroe and the run to give the impression to be the perfect choice for act she ( voice, walk, physical appearance, gestures). its sins - the title who seems escaped from a scandal newspaper because the revelation are not news and it is bizarre to pretend present a complex biography in each of its details. the ambition to tell all in a mini series and the taste of improvised puzzle. the hard work of Kelli Garner to convince the public than she is the best Marlyn. the ambition is real admirable and the result far to be bad but , scene by scene, it becomes strange. a beautiful series. that is its basic good point. for remind. for rediscover. and for give new shadows to a myth.

Someone like Gal Gadot is a millionaire, while this actress..

[dxb-33529 · 10/10 · 4 October 2023]

Isn't getting any prominent roles. Someone explain this to me please. I read the book before I watched this, but even if I didn't, as an avid Marilyn Monroe fan, she has done her justice. It isn't the first time something like this has been done, but previous actresses were almost like caricatures - they would over do not only Marilyn's tone, but the way she moved her lips while speaking. It always ended up looking comedic, rather than real. This actress did it all, made u cry and feel sorry for Marilyn with only one look or movement, without any words - she played Marilyn's vulnerability with perfection.

Kelli Garner IS Marilyn!

[HotToastyRag · 9/10 · 6 April 2024]

You might dismiss The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe, thinking it is just another biopic and Hollywood has certainly made enough of them. However, as someone who has seen nearly all of the representations, I urge you to reconsider. I watched this miniseries on the big screen, not a small television set. I was able to see every detail projected onto the width of the room's wall, so any flaw, dissimilarity, or wrong movement of Kelli Garner would be completely noticeable. She was perfect. I kept grabbing my mom's arm across the theater seat, exclaiming, "It's her!" Miss Garner looks so completely like Marilyn, from the minutest movement of her eyebrows, to the slight downturn of her mouth before she smiles. Any girl can imitate Marilyn's walk, but it takes a true talent to recreate the way she sighed. From her teen years as Norma Jean, to the excruciating detail of her Marilyn mannerisms, from her private dramatics with her mother, to her terror at being institutionalized herself, it is an absolute crime Garner wasn't nominated for a single award. She should have swept the season. Had this movie been released prior to My Week with Marilyn, Michelle Williams's showstopper would have never gotten off the ground. I thought Michelle had the market cornered, but now I've seen the very best there is. Michelle took the angle of "Marilyn knows exactly what she's doing" (which was wonderful), but Kelli plays the victim. She's been victimized and manipulated her entire life, and from start to finish, all she ever wanted was to be loved. If you watch Kelli's performance first, you'll probably hate what Michelle did to the 1950s icon. Kelli is vulnerable and tragic, and she breaks your heart.

The format of the story is Marilyn with a new psychiatrist, played by Jack Noseworthy. Although a cutie, Jack's character is a terrible therapist! He poses unrealistic questions and lets his face show everything he's thinking - taboo for psychiatrists. However, for television audiences, if he removed the twinkle from his eye and stopped smiling, his scenes would be far less enjoyable. The therapy sessions provide natural breaks in the story, so the present-day Marilyn can reflect on her past (and sometimes break for commercials). The miniseries has a great focus on Marilyn's insane mother, Gladys, played by Susan Sarandon. I've never seen her in such a creepy role, but she certainly did it well. There's a balance between the private moments of Marilyn and Gladys, and the public scenes biography fans are looking forward to. Iconic outfits are recreated for the ultimate Marilyn fan to enjoy, and her transition from Norma Jean is completed with exactly the right hair and makeup styles. We see all three of her marriages as well as friendships, romances, and "bargains" with more of the Hollywood crowd. Though Jeffrey Dean Morgan is infinitely more handsome than Joe DiMaggio, he does give both an endearing and frightening performance. Stephen Bogaert as Arthur Miller looks like he stepped out of a photograph. You'll also see Embeth Davidtz, Emily Watson, Peter MacNeill, Giacomo Gianniotti and Eva Amurri (Susan's real-life daughter playing the young Gladys!). If you're a fan, you owe it to Marilyn to watch this biopic. Of all the versions, I think she'd like this one the best.

Like Confidential magazine in TV form

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 18 January 2019]

Based on The New York Times bestseller of the same name by J. Randy Taraborrelli, this movie proves that sometimes, Lifetime will actually put money into their movies. Or mini-series. You know what I mean. This is about as A-list as this channel is ever going to get, but of course, it's not to be afraid to be totally scummy to, which is exactly as you like it.

Kelli Garner is Marilyn as we take the journey of her life from Norma Jean to the most famous actress in the world, along with the trials, tribulations, loves and hates. Sadly for those Anton LaVey fans out there, we never see him show up - if so, I would have thrown my Roku remote in the air and danced under it like a majorette - but all of her most important lovers show up.

Somehow, Jeffrey Dean Morgan is the trivia answer to who played Joe DiMaggio and Negan from The Walking Dead. Maybe he's good with baseball bats. Another Grey's Anatomy star, Giacomo Gianniotti, plays Marilyn's first wife, Jimmy Dougherty. And then there's Stephen Bogaert as Arthur Miller, Marilyn's third husband.

Susan Sarandon is great as Gladys Monroe Mortenson, Marilyn's mother, who owns big chunks of this movie with her certified insanity. And Emily Watson is really good as Grace McKee, Marilyn's foster mother, who didn't take any medicine due to her religion and still killed herself with a drug overdose.

It's all held together by a therapist leading Marilyn through the journey of her life on the last day she's alive. If you know the story of Marilyn well enough, you're not going to be surprised by anything. Joe DiMaggio definitely comes off horribly in this one. Nearly everyone does.

A really bad Biography.

[Shabdom · 3/10 · 7 March 2022]

The actors played well but this was supposed to be a biography movie and yet they have missed most of the important things in her life I wanted to learn something about her but was left with an awful melancholic exaggeration.

They made her look crazy unstable always sad and insecure. She might have been insecure especially in the beginning but I'm sure she carryed herself well.

I am giving 3 stars because of the actors.

But if I could rate only the story I would give you 1 star.