Historical movies, especially those focusing on British royals are captivating and ‘The other Boleyn Girl’ is no different. Scarlet Johansson and Natalie Portman step into beautiful ball gowns to take on the roles of the Boleyn sisters-The younger, gentle, kind and trustworthy Mary who wants nothing more than to be married to the man she loves and the older, impulsive, discontented and self-centered Ann who has eyes only for men in high places.
Eric Bana makes a formidable King Henry who is fearful of dying without leaving a male heir to rule after him. He takes on Mary as his mistress in the hope that she will provide him with a son, which his queen failed to do. Ann, seething with jealousy, not only charms the king into being smitten with her, but also demands that if he wishes to have her, he must marry her. While Henry goes along with this, she soon learns that hard way that you don’t bargain with royalty.
For those not well versed with the history chapter on British Royals, the ending comes as a mild shock, but the rest of the movie is pretty much predictable. The costumes have obviously been meticulously researched and take you back in time. Ann will probably be everyone’s favorite character, due to her wicked and scandalous, but at the same time, charming ways that manage to capture the attention of not just the King of England but also the audience.
All in all, definitely a movie for the history geeks and not a waste of time for the rest of us either.