The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
1h 55m | PG-13
A sumptuous and sensual tale of intrigue, romance and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in European history: two beautiful sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, driven by their family's blind ambition, compete for the love of the handsome and passionate King Henry VIII.
Director: Justin Chadwick
Studio: Universal Pictures
Genre: Drama, Romance, History
Video: 720p
Cast
Natalie Portman
as Anne Boleyn
Scarlett Johansson
as Mary Boleyn
Eric Bana
as Henry Tudor
Jim Sturgess
as George Boleyn
Mark Rylance
as Sir Thomas Boleyn
Kristin Scott Thomas
as Lady Elizabeth Boleyn
Reviews
Except, it isn't really much about the "other" Boleyn girl at all, is it? Eric Bana never could hold a film together, and his effort as the amorous but volatile King Henry VIII proves he can't here either. Scarlett Johansson (Anne) and Natalie Portman (Mary) play the Boleyn girls well enough with decent, if brief, contributions from Kristin Scott-Thomas and Mark Rylance as their parents and from Jim Sturgess as their sexually ambiguous brother George. It looks sumptuous enough with plenty of attention to detail both indoors and out, but is over-written and it has all the sexual chemistry of a children's tea party. Sadly, it's a disappointingly weak adaptation of an intriguing story of betrayal, treachery and lust that really deserves better. Perhaps a film mainly for fans of a good costume drama that's big on costumes but less so on drama...