A miniseries that chronicles the life of Marilyn Monroe as she juggled her private secrets with her public image. Based on the book,  The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by J. Randy Taraborrelli. Starring Susan Sarandon, Kelli Garner, Embeth Davidtz, Giacomo Gianniotti

I was really looking forward to this miniseries. I read Monroe’s autobiography years ago and sympathized with the struggles she faced, trapped in a split-personality life of her own making.

This film fails to do justice to those real struggles.  Also, the actress who played Monroe never made a clear distinction between Marilyn and Norma Jeane. Especially annoying was the misuse of Monroe’s breathy voice as she alternated between the two personalities.

This miniseries didn’t  bother to cover the struggles she faced with her sexuality and relationships with men, choosing instead to focus on the dynamics of  her mother’s mental illness, which Monroe later faced herself.  This aspect of the story line was excellent, examining Marilyn’s attempts to keep her mother’s illness a secret.

There are some good parts throughout the miniseries, but as a whole, I would say it is a pass.