Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
Using the book 'Fragments', which collects Marilyn Monroe's poems, notes and letters, and with participation from the Arthur Miller and Truman Capote estates who have contributed more material, each of the actresses will embody the legend at various stages in her life.
Love, Marilyn takes a genuinely inventive approach to documentary biography — using Monroe's own writings performed by an ensemble of accomplished actresses rather than conventional talking-head narration. The rotating cast of performers (including Uma Thurman, Glenn Close, Viola Davis, and others) brings remarkable interpretive depth to the material, making Acting a clear standout. The novelty of the format — fragmentary, literary, polyphonic — is distinctive enough to earn high marks, even if the execution occasionally feels scattered. Cinematography is serviceable but not especially distinguished for a documentary. The ending loses momentum, feeling more like the writings simply run out rather than arriving at a satisfying or resonant conclusion.