The Other Boleyn Girl

6/1/2024

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