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Movies / On DVD / The Other Boleyn Girl
The Other Boleyn Girl

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The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)

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Reviews Counted:135

Fresh:56

Rotten:79

Average Rating:5.3/10

Consensus: Though it features some extravagant and entertaining moments, The Other Boleyn Girl feels more like a soap opera than historical drama.

Rated: 12A [See Full Rating] for mature thematic elements, sexual content and some violent images.

Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:07-03-2008

Synopsis: Based on the best selling novel by Philippa Gregory, The Other Boleyn Girl is an engrossing and sensual tale of intrigue, romance, and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in... Based on the best selling novel by Philippa Gregory, The Other Boleyn Girl is an engrossing and sensual tale of intrigue, romance, and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in history. Two sisters, Anne (Natalie Portman) and Mary (Scarlett Johansson) Boleyn, are driven by their ambitious father and uncle to advance the family’s power and status by courting the affections of the King of England (Eric Bana). Leaving behind the simplicity of country life, the girls are thrust into the dangerous and thrilling world of court life – and what began as a bid to help their family develops into a ruthless rivalry between Anne and Mary for the love of the king. Initially, Mary wins King Henry’s favor and becomes his mistress, bearing him an illegitimate child. But Anne, clever, conniving, and fearless, edges aside both her sister and Henry’s wife, Queen Katherine of Aragon, in her relentless pursuit of the king. Despite Mary’s genuine feelings for Henry, her sister Anne has her sights set on the ultimate prize; Anne will not stop until she is Queen of England. As the Boleyn girls battle for the love of a king – one driven by ambition, the other by true affection – England is torn apart. Despite the dramatic consequences, the Boleyn girls ultimately find strength and loyalty in each other, and they remain forever connected by their bond as sisters.--© Sony Pictures [More]

Starring: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana

Starring: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana

Director: Justin Chadwick

Director: Justin Chadwick
Screenwriter: Peter Morgan
Producer: Alison Owen
Composer: Edward Shearmur
Studio: Columbia Pictures

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Reviews for The Other Boleyn Girl

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61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

A mild disaster.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
02/29/08
M.E. Russell
M.E. Russell
Oregonian

Unsexy and not particularly good-looking.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
02/29/08
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post

If Russ Meyer had made The Other Boleyn Girl, Anne and Mary Boleyn would have yanked some hair, scratched some eyeballs, walloped each other in their respective kissers, and the movie would have been all the better for it.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
02/29/08
Jim Emerson
Jim Emerson
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As the girls' mother, Kristin Scott Thomas is basically reduced to shaking her head, sighing and wondering how things turned out so badly. Indeed.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
02/29/08
Elizabeth Weitzman
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News

More slog than romp, The Other Boleyn Girl tells the salacious story of two hot blue bloods who ran amok and partly unclothed in the court of Henry VIII.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
02/29/08
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

On-location exteriors throughout the English countryside, elaborate costumes, and colorful sets overrun with tapestries, mounds of food and large sporting hounds make this one of the most authentic-looking period films in recent years.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
02/29/08
Mary-Liz Shaw
Mary-Liz Shaw
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

OK as far as it goes, which is not far enough.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
02/29/08
Kenneth Turan
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This streamlined adaptation of Philippa Gregory's fanciful historical novel is fine fun.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
02/29/08
Glenn Whipp
Glenn Whipp
Los Angeles Daily News

The Other Boleyn Girl is almost too indescribable for words. It's one of the most visually boring films I've seen in some time.

Full Review Source: Bronsonfive | comment Comment
02/29/08
Michael Ferraro
Michael Ferraro
Bronsonfive

The movie makes history downright thrilling, and it may very well prompt viewers to pick up a book and learn more.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
02/29/08
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

The film's seduction is all too obvious to ravish anyone.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
02/29/08
Amy Biancolli
Amy Biancolli
Houston Chronicle

What might have been delicious trash lacks the courage of its trashy convictions, and the result is high-born melodrama with the juice boiled out, so much dry cabbage on fine-china plate.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
02/29/08
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail

Not only lacks clarity but also any spark of real verve.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
02/29/08
Richard Mowe
Richard Mowe
Boxoffice Magazine

Wow! Hot dueling sisters. Beheadings. Untold wealth and power. Lush costumes. Decisions that change the course of history. And, again -- hot dueling sisters! So how come The Other Boleyn Girl is such a snooze?

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
02/29/08
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News

With The Other Boleyn Girl, the sheen and shine of the clothing and sets can't quite blind us to the fact there's very little drama under all the drapery, and you'll recall the textures of the fabrics long after you've forgotten the threads of the plot.

Full Review Source: Cinematical | comment Comment
02/29/08
James Rocchi
James Rocchi
Cinematical

This overstuffed bit of fluff can't muster much in the way of excitement. It offers a yawn-inducing, sketchy and fairly questionable version of historical events.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
02/29/08
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

Neither Johansson nor Portman convince.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
02/29/08
Lisa Kennedy
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post

Ms. Johansson fills the screen in her usually quiet but piercing manner.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
02/29/08
Mario Tarradell
Mario Tarradell
Dallas Morning News

A richly appointed period piece, it features kingly tantrums, mistresses, bodices, roaring fireplaces, incest, and mutton. It also features sharply enunciated, period-perfect dialogue in which nary a contraction can be heard.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
02/29/08
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor

Despite a certain amount of moral outrage and good performances from the lead actresses, it's neither sexy enough to qualify as good trash nor serious enough to pass for history.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
02/29/08
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 >> >|
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Latest News for The Other Boleyn Girl

August 23, 2008: Iconoclast.com: An all in the dysfunctional family royal romp with incestuous tendencies, this richly textured, dramatically disciplined, erotically laced and emotionally taut creation makes for weirdly kinky historical analysis. Opens in new window
More...

June 18, 2008: An all in the dysfunctional family royal romp with incestuous tendencies, this richly textured, dramatically disciplined, erotically laced and emotionally taut creation makes for weirdly kinky historical analysis, but pretty steamy pre-tabloid melodrama. Opens in new window
More...

June 09, 2008: RT on DVD: Bosomy Boleyn Girls, Jumper, John Adams
As the latest wave of Obamamania sweeps the country, look forward to HBO's Recount...or peek into the past with HBO's John Adams. Also clear your calendar for high-def Top... More...

June 05, 2008: Another Boleyn Girl On the Way? Opens in new window
Despite lukewarm reviews and middling box-office receipts, rumor has it that work has begun on a sequel to The Other Boleyn Girl. More...

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