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A tale of two sisters competing for the same king, The Other Boleyn Girl uses historical facts as window dressing for this work of fiction that is entertaining, if not wholly believable. Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) is the doe-eyed vixen ordered by her power-hungry uncle to bewitch King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Her shy sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) has always been in Anne's shadow; Anne is prettier, more accomplished, and desired by many men. So when the King picks Mary--the "other Boleyn girl"--as his mistress, Anne turns on her sister and schemes to become not only the King's consort, but his new queen. With a pair of American actresses in the lead roles and an Aussie portraying their hunky object of desire, the English accents are all over the place in this period piece with a modern feel. Though the Boleyn girls' mother points out that her "daughters are being traded like cattle for the advancement of men," it is Anne who ultimately throws her slight weight around to bully Henry into doing her bidding. When he begs her to give herself to him, Anne--wearing a Carrie Bradshaw-esque "B" pendant on her neck--counters, "Make me your Queen." Is the audience really supposed to believe that Henry the VIII--the most powerful man in the land--would divorce Catherine of Aragon, separate from the Catholic church, and put England in upheaval simply because Anne refused to sleep with him until he jumped through all her hoops? "I have torn this country apart for you," he hisses at her before finally getting his way. Based on Philippa Gregory's bestselling novel of the same name, The Other Boleyn Girl features an attractive cast and a familiar plot with some icky twists. Kieran McGuigan's cinematography is breathtaking and is as crucial to setting the film's tone as the dialogue. Actually, it fares better: Lines such as "Well? Did he have you?!" sound almost comical. But the sweeping shots of Henry's kingdom and the carefully framed close-ups of Portman and Johansson are breathtaking in their beauty and say what words simply cannot. --Jae-Ha Kim
Beyond The Other Boleyn Girl
 Paperback Book |  On DVD |  The Soundtrack |
Stills from The Other Boleyn Girl (click for larger image)
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
a surprise take on Henry VIII,
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This review is from: The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) (DVD)
Not only is this a pretty decent costume drama (check out the water wing sleeves on Henry VIII's clothes in some scenes) but it's amazingly a new take on arguably one of the England's most bizarre royals.Now I don't quite understand how the entire nation of England cannot produce actors to play English historical figures but having an Australian (Eric Bana) and two Americans (Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johanssen) in the lead roles works out fine. The Other Boleyn Girl is about the Boleyn sisters and is an incredibly overlooked part of British history (even if a lot of the ideas on their relationship with each other and Henry may be more in the author's mind than what actually may have happened) but all the more fascinating. Who'd have thought there was anything more to mine from the Henry VIII vaults but there was in this movie. Needless to say you get all the court intrigue, backstabbing and sex on a stick. What makes it all the more fantastic are the elaborate detailed sets, the often Vermeer-like quality to the camera shots where we peer through doors, archways and any opening where light shines through to give a somewhat voyeuristic feel to many of the secrets of the court. It's also a look at how badly women were treated back then (pretty as chattel) and how men manipulated women for political gain. Throw in the DVD extras which are superb. They include a look at what life was like for women in the Tudor age as well, a rundown of each central character and some more nuggets in which the actors, producers, director, the author of the book the movie is based on and some noted scholars throw in their two farthings' worth. As far as reviews here that compare it to the book, these people need to watch the extras again as even the author says it would have been impossible to film the entire book and that the movie (which she loves) adds a bunch of necessary background needed prior to the Boleyn sisters entering court.
5.0 out of 5 stars
I love this movie,
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This review is from: The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) [Blu-ray] (Blu-ray)
This movie teaches a moral lesson to all of them, who want to get everything stealing and crashing the right of others, watch it. I enjoyed it very much because it made me remember a person like that.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't buy the DVD, just read the book!!,
By
This review is from: The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) (DVD)
If this period in history at all interests you, buy one of the DVDs about Elizabeth I ("The Virgin Queen" is excellent), but don't bother with this piece of trash. I loved the book, but hate, hate, hate the movie. Possibly because I really don't like Natalie Portman (what a terrible choice for Anne Boleyn), but also because it doesn't deliver all the promise that was the book. Read it, and broaden your mind. Watch this, and let brain cells DIE.The Other Boleyn Girl
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