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The
Other Boleyn Girl
(2008)
 
Based on Philippa Gregory's novel, this historical soap opera set
amongst the Royal Court of Henry VIII of England is insufferably tedious.
The scheming Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey) seeks to increase his
family's position by offering his niece Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman)
to be the mistress of Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Although there are
immediate sparks between the two, the Duke of Norfolk considers Anne a
liability after an accident that causes the King to be injured and
instead aims to have her sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) replace her
in the King's affections.
Director Justin Chadwick (responsible for multiple episodes of
British television's Bleak House) earns high marks for how he
visualizes the story, but deserves failing marks for how he handles it
as a drama. It plays out very predictably, full of melodrama
bordering on the risible at times and about as deep an exploration of
its characters as a piece of tissue paper. The surprising thing is
that Peter Morgan (The Last King of Scotland, The Queen) has
contributed such a weak screenplay. Granted, it's based on someone
else's novel, but one expects better from a proven screenwriter.
Never have I been so pleased to see someone's head removed from their
body as I was when Anne Boleyn experiences that fate here, because it
meant that my suffering through two hours of tedium was finally at an end.
The best part of the film is the beautiful lighting of
cinematographer Kieran McGuigan (a veteran of British television shows
like Bleak House and Spooks) that reminds one of the great Baroque
paintings. There are so many scenes that could be frozen and
placed on a museum wall as art. Production designer John-Paul Kelly
(Bloody Sunday, Venus) and costume designer Sandy Powell
(Interview with the Vampire, The Departed) do an outstanding job
of re-creating the 16th century Royal Court with sumptuous sets and
costumes.
Portman once again amply demonstrates what an overrated actress she
is, while Johansson just isn't very credible as a 16th century English
noblewoman. Rumors of discord on the set between the two may explain
why there is so little chemistry between them on screen as sisters.
Without exception, the rest of the acting is all on the surface
without digging any deeper, which must be partly blamed on the
director. The cast includes Jim Sturgess as Anne and Mary's brother George, Mark Rylance
and Kristin Scott Thomas as the parents of the Boleyn siblings,
Benedict Cumberbatch as Mary's first husband, Ana Torrent as Catherine
of Aragon, and Juno Temple as Jane Parker.
The Other Boleyn Girl is almost a complete waste of time. As
beautiful as it may be to look at, its predictable melodrama will have
you wishing you were somewhere else. Do yourself a favor and just be
somewhere else.
-Danielle
Ní Dhighe
Other
Thoughts: Mark Moreland
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All contents ©
2004-2007 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
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Director:
Justin
Chadwick
Writer: Peter
Morgan, Philippa Gregory
Starring: Natalie
Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Jim Sturgess, David Morrissey,
Kristin Scott Thomas
Distributor: Focus
Features
Runtime: 115
min
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: February
29, 2008
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