User Reviews

The title is not in reference to Joe DiMaggio or to Arthur Miller, but to a man named Jim Dougherty. If you've never heard of him, that's because many millions of people likely haven't, either. (One wonders whether Frank Sinatra and JFK had even heard of him.) The subject of this documentary was none other than Ms. Monroe's first ever hubby. Together, they produced no children, otherwise this might have been a trilogy.

Did Marilyn Monroe know too much about flying saucers? Was she about to spill the beans on this or some other top-secret info? Did she die accidentally by drug overdose, or did she commit suicide? Or was she murdered? This is not that kind of documentary. There are few insights and revelations into Ms. Monroe's life as a celebrity and the mystery surrounding her death. It's a movie about as vapid as was Marilyn Monroe's vacuous public persona.

As the title suggests, this is more about Mr. Dougherty than anyone else. As likable as this fellow is, that is not a good thing. I personally found him to be a bit of a bore; a soporific rambler. There are numerous scenes of him reminiscing on his recliner, or while driving his car or tuning a guitar, having to do with his early football days and his time spent in target practice on a shooting range, and what-not. Viewers might be more interested in learning what ultimately had led to his failed marriage with Norma Jean Dougherty, instead, but for this movie that is apparently too irrelevant a matter to be given consideration.

A brief history: Mr. Dougherty was, when he met Norma Jean, a man who had been working in an aircraft factory. He was also her next-door neighbor, at the time. Four years her senior, they ended up marrying each other in 1942, when Jim was 21. Mr. Dougherty, in one moment of the movie, confesses that he thought Norma Jean was rather beautiful, but that he had married her so as to save her from a particular situation, more than anything else. My guess is that for most guys this would have been a burden, but Jim had truly loved Norma Jean. (Whether the feeling was mutual may not be as certain.)

The movie simply isn't all that interesting or revealing. Although, Mr. Dougherty does offer up a bit of analysis when he mentions that had Norma Jean stayed with him, they likely would have gone on to have grandchildren, and that were it not for her changing her name and becoming famous, that she would not have died the way that she did. Kudos to the subject for providing us with these profound insights.

Perhaps the greatest revelation in the movie is when Mr. Dougherty shares with us the memory of his first wife, Norma Jean, being just as human as the rest of us, in the way of expelling flatulence. The story is told of Norma Jean having let out one doozy of a fart inside a movie theater and subsequently clearing a few seats in the process. She had thought this funny; Jim, didn't. I cannot help but think that this particular anecdote might end up shattering the illusions of numerous Monroe fans, of her having been this superhuman sexpot incapable of breaking wind, but if it's any consolation it should be remembered that it wasn't Marilyn per se but rather Norma Jean who was responsible for the stinker.

There are several early photographs shown of both Norma Jean and Marilyn, and some of these are displayed side-by-side, resembling a split-screen. The transition in appearances shown in these comparative shots is astounding: from radiant brunette to how most people remember her. It is a somewhat sad contrast to behold, in that Ms. Monroe was a tragic figure who died too young and never seemed as sincerely happy as the felicity which is evident in the Norma Jean photos.

As for the movie's production values, the quality of the picture is akin to that of a video-cam. The editing is without any sense of shape or arc; it all seems somewhat arbitrarily compiled. The movie's pace is poor; it lacks momentum. Then there is the most flawed aspect of all: the intermittent sequences containing cheesy music - songs oozing pathos, which come across as gratuitous and mismatched insertions that only end up detracting from the visuals. It's here where the mute button on one's remote best comes into play.

The movie includes that flagrant footage of Marilyn singing "Happy Birthday Mr. President," performed three months before her death. Mr. Dougherty says here that in his opinion, Marilyn's death was accidental. He also mentions of how he can't picture her having ever kept a diary. If there was one (and there are some people who were close to Monroe who feel that there was), how that would make for the subject of a really intriguing documentary!

Idolaters of Marilyn Monroe would likely praise this movie, but for others who will only go so far as to acknowledge the beauty of Ms. Monroe and how she was an underrated actress, this is all in all a disappointing tribute to her, as well as a lackluster and forgettable remembrance of Norma Jean.

(Incidentally, I thought Ashley Judd turned in a wonderful performance as Norma Jean in the excellent 1996 feature, "Norma Jean & Marilyn.")