A mild disaster.
The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)
Tomatometer
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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
Reviews for The Other Boleyn Girl
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.
As the girls' mother, Kristin Scott Thomas is basically reduced to shaking her head, sighing and wondering how things turned out so badly. Indeed.
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.
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.
This streamlined adaptation of Philippa Gregory's fanciful historical novel is fine fun.
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.
The movie makes history downright thrilling, and it may very well prompt viewers to pick up a book and learn more.
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.
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?
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.
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.
Ms. Johansson fills the screen in her usually quiet but piercing manner.
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.
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.
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. ![]()
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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. ![]()
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? ![]()
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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