What’s Worth Watching: Mommies Dearest

The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe (Saturday, May 30, 8/7c, Lifetime)

Very few actresses have made a good Marilyn Monroe—and Kelli Garner doesn’t either in this two-part Lifetime biopic. “Sultry” shouldn’t translate to chewing the inside of your cheeks and sounding on the verge of an asthma attack. However, Susan Sarandon and her real-life daughter Eva Amurri Martino portray heart-wrenching madness perfectly as the older and younger versions of Monroe’s mentally ill birth mother, Gladys Baker. And British actress Emily Watson nails a look of constant worry as the actress’s childhood guardian, Grace McKee. Watch and pretend it’s their story.