With all that cleavage and the lusty scandals, you’ll be forgiven for forgetting the plot of The Other Boleyn Girl. Which is fortunate because despite having a cast of Hollywood A-listers such as Eric Bana (The Incredible Hulk), Natalie Portman (V for Vendetta) and Scarlett Johansson (Girl With A Pearl Earring), this plot lacks colour and substance.

Throughout the movie both Portman and Johansson struggle with their English accents, making it hard for you to believe that their take on medieval England is credible. Plus Johansson does no justice to the movie, as her sad and pitiful role as Mary Boleyn gets under your skin instead of evoking sympathy.

The Story

Taking place against the backdrop of 16th century England, the story revolves around the lives of the Boleyn sisters, born and raised in the countryside. With their younger brother, the 3 are inseparable, with sibling love being their top priority.

Portman plays witty, sharp-tongued and ever determined Anne, eldest of the 3 Boleyn offspring, who also happens to be the apple of their father’s eye. On the other hand, Johansson is the middle child-reject and simple-minded Mary, who is ever ready to please daddy.

As the show goes on, Mary is married off to a fellow country bumpkin, to the envy of Anne, the older of the 2, who should have been betrothed first.

This is not enough to strain relations between the sisters until the arrival of their uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, a creep whose reason for living is to please King Henry VIII and retain his title.

Back in King Henry’s kingdom, all is not going well, as all his sons by his queen, Katherine of Aragon, died young, leaving Mary, as a female heir to the throne. This displeases Bana’s rather moody character greatly. That is when the Duke decides to take matters into his own hands.

Back at Mary’s wedding, dear old uncle has his sights set on Anne, as a bride for the King. After all, he thought, who wouldn’t want to bed the ruler of England? Therefore, the Duke begins his plans to get Anne to bear their country a male heir, much to the displeasure of the girls’ mother, Lady Elizabeth played by Kristin Scott Thomas who, by the way, shines as a supporting actress who adds comic relief to this draggy movie.

Surprisingly, Sir Thomas is more than happy to barter his daughter to move into court and earn his own title as Earl.

Things come to an abrupt halt when the King gets into an accident due to Anne’s ambitious nature and causes the King to lose his interest. Instead, he takes a sudden liking to the younger Boleyn. In her, he sees an endearing character, who doesn’t hanker for fame or fortune, but is one simply full of love.

Due to the turn of events, Anne gets frustrated at being outdone by her sister and decides to play rebel. She marries an already engaged Earl in an attempt to make a statement, which gets her kicked off to France and her marriage annulled.

While all these was going on, Mary had bedded the King and gotten herself pregnant. Unfortunately, the King starts to become restless while Mary is in bed with his child.

That is when the Duke decides to bring Anne back to England again, in a bid to satisfy the King’s pleasures.

As much as sibling rivalry is concerned, nothing can ever match up to the Boleyn sisters, as they fight for the love of one man.

In the end, Anne gets her way. She becomes the Queen of England, at the expense of exiling her sister and starting a revolution, among other things.

If you’re an ardent fan of English history, you would know the ending by now. If you don’t, then this UrbanWire reporter suggests you catch the show yourself. Much as this film gets the better of the viewer and becomes a bit hard to swallow, there are still twists and turns in this plot that are worth the watch.

Verdict

The Other Boleyn Girl is just an extended episode of a soap opera, and would not have looked out of place in Elizabeth I.

Director Justin Chadwick, who won Best Drama Serial at the Golden Globes in the British Academy Television in 2006 for Bleak House was a let down in this film, and honestly, should just stick to his TV dramas.

However, don’t just give up on the film just because the facts aren’t as accurate as they should be (this is Hollywood after all!). One thing is for sure – they got the fashion done right. Even the signature B pendent that Portman adorns in the film is an exact copy worn by the real Anne Boleyn.

Eric Bana is an excellent choice for King Henry as his brooding and slightly mysterious character gets all the women’s hearts and heads in a mess, although he looks much too young to play the part. They should have however, picked a younger actress to play Queen Catherine as their pairing on screen looked a bit odd.

Although the number of twists and turns in this film will make you feel like you’ve been on a rollercoaster, The Other Boleyn Girl would have been better if it was adapted into a mini series. Too much was squashed into 2 hours and therefore made the movie a little too overbearing. So if you’re into draggy soap operas and sad sob stories of unrequited love, this show is worth the catch.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Movie Details

Opens: Apr 3

Movie Rating: PG 13

Running Time: 117 mins

Language: English

Cast: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana

Director: Justin Chadwick