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The Other Boleyn Girl (2008)

tomatometer

42

Average Rating: 5.3/10
Reviews Counted: 140
Fresh: 59 | Rotten: 81

Though it features some extravagant and entertaining moments, The Other Boleyn Girl feels more like a soap opera than historical drama.

38

Average Rating: 5.3/10
Critic Reviews: 39
Fresh: 15 | Rotten: 24

Though it features some extravagant and entertaining moments, The Other Boleyn Girl feels more like a soap opera than historical drama.

audience

65

liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 193,547

My Rating

Movie Info

Adapted from author Philippa Gregory's historical novel of the same name, director Justin Chadwick's atmospheric period drama follows the fierce competition between sisters Mary (Scarlett Johansson) and Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) to win the affections of Tudor king Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Anne and Mary Boleyn are under pressure from their father and uncle to help maintain the family's rich legacy and ensure their further prosperity by winning the affections of none other than the king of

PG-13,

Drama, Romance

Peter Morgan

Jun 10, 2008

$26.8M

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All Critics (140) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (60) | Rotten (82) | DVD (4)

Why in the name of ermine boleros would anyone make such a dull, coy and, worst of all, pretty film about Anne Boleyn?

March 7, 2008 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
Top Critic IconTop Critic

I think the performances are really good.

March 3, 2008
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic IconTop Critic

[An] oversimplified, overheated mediocre melodrama.

February 29, 2008 Full Review Source: USA Today
USA Today
Top Critic IconTop Critic

[A] vulgarized portrayal of the Tudor court.

February 29, 2008 Full Review Source: Toronto Star
Toronto Star
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Overscored and lacking even the faintest realism of period, the movie still bears undeniable trash charms, if nothing near the deep satisfactions of such medieval nonsense as Beckett.

February 29, 2008 Full Review Source: Time Out New York
Time Out New York
Top Critic IconTop Critic

After covering much of its ground at a stylish canter, The Other Boleyn Girl finishes at a plod.

February 29, 2008 Full Review Source: Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal
Top Critic IconTop Critic

Irresistibly salacious soap opera, teeming with lust, scheming, backstabbing, and some outrageously overheated plot twists.

August 12, 2012 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com
TheMovieReport.com

Columbia has given us a nice 1.85:1 aspect ratio anamorphic widescreen transfer, a 5.1 Dolby digital soundtrack and stacked this DVD with a number of extras

January 19, 2010 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide
Apollo Guide

Apart from the close ups of the lead actresses in 16th century garb, this movie is recommended only to soap opera aficionados and lovers of corsets.

January 19, 2010 Full Review Source: Apollo Guide
Apollo Guide

Dreary

August 27, 2009 Full Review Source: CinePassion
CinePassion

A run-of-the-mill costume drama that made me think more about running home and Wikipedia-ing the characters than investing in the story before me.

September 8, 2008 Full Review Source: ReelzChannel.com

A very entertaining and involving story of family and sacrifice.

July 22, 2008 Full Review
Sin Magazine

The history may have been narratively scrunched, but it's all the true lives of some powerful and unfortunate people. Very lush.

July 17, 2008 Full Review Source: Cinerina

Portman confere peso dramático ŕ Ana Bolena, mas Johansson e Bana parecem seguir no piloto automático. Além disso, as liberdades históricas tomadas pelo roteiro săo absurdas demais para poderem ser ignoradas.

July 10, 2008
Cinema em Cena

The falling blade is the only element not missing the mark in this film. I wanted to call for the beheading after Act One, and spare the audience instead.

June 21, 2008 Full Review Source: Film Threat
Film Threat

The film gets a full 'This is a work of fiction' disclaimer, even noting that any resemblance to any person living or dead is unintentional. That tells you something about how much trust to put in these historical CliffsNotes.

June 9, 2008 Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews
Groucho Reviews

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.

June 9, 2008 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze
NewsBlaze

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.

June 9, 2008 Full Review Source: NewsBlaze
NewsBlaze

If only there was some nobility among these royals.

May 28, 2008 Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope
Laramie Movie Scope

In an earlier era this would have starred Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins and in its way, The Other Boleyn Girl is just as trashy and enjoyable.

May 22, 2008 Full Review Source: Windy City Times
Windy City Times

If the late Aaron Spelling had lived long enough to produce Showtime's The Tudors, the result might have been something like The Other Boleyn Girl...

May 1, 2008 Full Review Source: MSNBC | Comment (1)

With plenty of betrayal, attempted incest and beheadings crammed into this period episode of The Young and the Restless, The Other Boleyn Sister has appeal in an otherwise stiff genre.

April 15, 2008 Full Review Source: Peterborough This Week

There are moments when you can see how terrific this film could have been

March 21, 2008 Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall
Shadows on the Wall

Audience Reviews for The Other Boleyn Girl

I have to say I feared the worst when sitting down to this film, 2 Americans and an Australian playing huge historical English characters sounded like an awful idea. It wasn't so bad though, in fact it was perfectly adequate. Nothing special mind, there was an awful lot of the plot missing, and years skipped by in seconds but thanks to a capable cast and some nice direction (apart from the handful of 'behind a fence/through a curtain' wobbly camera shots) it was pleasantly not horrible.
September 12, 2011
SirPant

Super Reviewer

Excellent period drama that tells a perfect and dead on story of Anne (Natalie Portman) & Mary Boleyn (Scarlett Johansson) as they both seduce King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) in this dramatic & tragic film masterpiece.
February 24, 2008
movieguru12
Cassie Hill

Super Reviewer

    1. Katherine of Aragon: How dare you. [man shouts Katherine, Queen of England, come to court] You want me to creep away and become a nun? Well I shall not. You want me to lie before God and admit my first marriage was consummated, well it was not. You want me to retire and give up my daughter's claim as sole rightful hier to the throne, well I shall not. Not in a thousand years. Not if you rack me to within an inch of my life. I am Katherine, Queen of England. The king's one true wife and mother of the heir to the throne. Beloved of the people and beloved of a king, who you have bewitched.
    – Submitted by Nhia T (6 months ago)
    1. Lady Elizabeth Boleyn: So, the Boleyn whores, two former ladies of mine. What did I do to upset you, that you should turn against me like this?
    2. Anne Boleyn: You fail giving him an hier.
    3. Katherine of Aragon: And that upsets you?
    4. Anne Boleyn: What upsets the king, upsets me.
    – Submitted by Nhia T (6 months ago)

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Foreign Titles

  • Die Schwester der Königin (DE)
  • Deux soeurs pour un roi (FR)
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