Genre: Drama/Biography
Director: Gus Van Sant
Writer: Chad Taylor
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Christina Hendricks, George Clooney, Peter Sarsgaard, John Slattery, Lily Collins, Blake Jenner
Plot: In 1961, former co-stars and good friends Montgomery Clift (Joaquin Phoenix) and Elizabeth Taylor (Lily Collins) go out for dinner upon his visit to Los Angeles. Both found stardom in Hollywood during the 1950s, but are leading much different lives. Taylor, barely 30 and already on her fourth husband, is preparing to shoot the mega-budget historical epic Cleopatra. Clift is a well-respected method actor who tries to stay out of the spotlight and thus recently moved away from L.A. He has recently been wallowing in drugs and depression as the course of his career was dramatically altered by a violent car accident in 1956.
As they reminisce about days of old, Elizabeth worries about Monty’s disinterest in acting and his increasing substance abuse. She says has been in contact with director John Huston’s office about landing him a role in his next film. Although he is very noncommittal at first, she takes ahold of his hand and pleads that he at least meet with the director. The touch of her skin on his prompts a smile from him and he tells her he will go to the meeting. They share a prolonged hug as they leave the restaurant, with her telling him she loves him.
At the meeting with Huston (John Slattery), Monty is pitched on getting a supporting role in a western titled The Misfits. He tells Clift that he has already nabbed screen icon Clark Gable and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe for lead roles. If he can get Clift on the project, it will be one of the most anticipated films of all time. Huston also expresses his worries about Marilyn’s addiction issues and thinks Monty would act as a calming presence on set to help keep her straight. Huston’s larger-than-life personality pulls Monty in and he finally decides that he will do the project. Monty receives word that because of his past drug troubles, the insurance company is not willing to cover him for the film. Liz, eager to see her friend find steady footing, offers to cover it herself.
Upon returning home to NYC, Monty notices in the Hollywood gossip columns that someone published photos of him and Elizabeth holding hands and hugging and proclaiming that Liz is cheating on her husband with Monty. He calls her and her husband his apologies and she tells him they will believe what they want to believe.
The cast and crew arrive on location in Nevada in sweltering heat. Clark Gable (George Clooney) introduces himself to his co-stars, carrying a sort of bravado with him that could only fit a man of his reputation. Marilyn (Christina Hendricks) is a bit star-struck, given that Gable was her idol when she was a kid. Clark responds in a flirtatious way, at which time another man steps in to introduce himself to Gable – Arthur Miller (Peter Sarsgaard), husband of Marilyn. Miller is an acclaimed playwright who has written the screenplay for this film as it is based on his own short story. Monty enters the fray and introduces himself to the three of them, with an immediate spark between he and Marilyn.
As filming begins, troubles are immediate as Marilyn is hours late to the set. Because of who she is, everyone – director included – is too nervous to scold her for being late. Huston sends Arthur to track down his wife and when he arrives at her hotel room, the blame is put on the drugs she uses to wake up in the morning. Miller scolds her for it. Meanwhile, Monty’s role as a cowboy requires him to work with horses and it during this time that he meets horse handler Carl Sanders (Blake Jenner). As they train together, Monty seems the happiest he has been in years.
Shooting schedules are derailed by Marilyn repeatedly forgetting her lines. Gable, knowing that she looks up to him, tries to talk to her and help her know the script as they all want to get out of there as much as she does. She rebuts by saying she is not sure if that is true. Although the Nevada heat is still unbearable, Monty is starting to enjoy his time anytime he is around Carl, whose youthfulness reminds him of a better time in his life. Carl also enjoys their interactions as a sexual tension grows between the two of them.
Marilyn spots the two of them and brings it up to Monty when Carl isn’t around. Monty shoots it down and tells her not to say that to anyone else but she calms him down and says she is not bothered by it. She herself compliments Carl’s masculinity. Monty grows more comfortable with her in the conversation and starts to tell her about how Carl makes him feel. Whenever they are around each other, he is reminded of is own younger days. Marilyn tells him that she also feels like a shell of her older self. Monty, visibly shaken, describes how his horrific car accident wrecked his self-consciousness and he doesn’t trust his own ability to be the star he once was. Marilyn cradles his head on her lab as he spills out his feelings.
Meanwhile, Clark grows discontent with Arthur’s ambivalence towards Marilyn’s issues and so he starts actively trying to undermine Miller. He complains to Huston about some of his character’s actions and recommends they change some of the scenes. Huston, in turn, puts pressure on Arthur to re-write the script on the fly to conform to Clark’s self-image. In private, Arthur lashes out in a rant directed towards Marilyn about the disrespect he is receiving on set. Marilyn listens to Arthur’s rants but realizes he has little interest in hearing what she has to say. After Arthur goes out to drink at a local bar, Marilyn sneaks out of the room and leaves her sleeping drugs behind. She visits Monty’s room, where she vents about the state of her marriage. She falls asleep in Monty’s bed as he provides her with soothing words of encouragement while taking his pain-killers to help fall asleep himself.
The next week, following his encouraging talks with Marilyn, Monty decides to make a move on Carl. When Monty goes to kiss him, Carl pushes Monty away and punches him in the jaw. Afterwards, Clark notices the bruise on Monty’s face and helps him make his way to the make-up artist so it does not cause a fuss with Huston and the rest of the crew. Realizing that Monty seems more down than usual, Clark sits him down and gives him advice for both acting and life. When Clark asks what was the cause of the scuffle, Monty tells him with a stone-face that it was a fight over a girl. Shooting wraps on the film wraps later the next week. The day after filming ends, the cast and crew are shocked to hear the news that Clark Gable has died of a heart attack at the age of 59.
Back in Los Angeles, Monty visits Liz. She is worried that he looks even more distraught than usual and asks if it is because of Clark’s death (he says that is part of it). She tells him that she has heard rumors that the gossip columns have heard rumors about his homosexual escapades on set and might try to blackmail him as they did with Rock Hudson. He breaks down in tears, wondering aloud why he has to hide his true self in the shadows and be a totally different person when in the public eye. Liz comforts him and says she can try to spark up the rumors of their “romance” again to divert the gossipers’ attention but Monty tells her that is old news. He partially awakens from his sorrow and says that does give him an idea.
Monty visits Marilyn and tells her of his plight. She already knows what he is going to ask and accepts before he can verbally ask. She says the experience on set was like being in her own personal prison as the set boundaries forced her to constantly be around her crumbling marriage. She tells him that Arthur and she have decided to get a divorce. Monty holds her hands and they share a comforting look – although it is hard for either one to crack a smile.
Pedestrians walk on a busy street as the camera inches closer to a newsstand. The front page of Confidential magazine has a candid picture of Marilyn and Montgomery in close company looking romantic. The headline warns of a scandal and posits the question whether or not Marilyn is cheating on her husband with Montgomery.
Final text informs the viewer that Marilyn would die only a year later, with The Misfits being the last film for both Monroe and Clark Gable – two undeniable film icons. Montgomery would never fully get his life back on track from his car accident and died at the age of 45 in 1966. The Misfits showed on television that night. Monty declined to watch.
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