By Sara Pintilie/entertainment editor
The Other Boleyn Girl (3 stars)
The Other Boleyn Girl is a sudsy melodrama centering around the most infamous wife of Henry VIII.
Based on the best-selling novel by Philippa Gregory, the film captures the sibling rivalry between Mary (Scarlett Johansson) and Anne (Natalie Portman).
Mary becomes a mistress of King Henry (Eric Bana) after he visits the Boleyn estate. The sisters move into the court, along with their brother, George (Jim Sturgess).
Anne, jealous of the king’s choosing Mary over her, starts plotting against everyone to get what she wants—the throne.
The acting by Portman and Johansson is fantastic, but everything else in The Other Boleyn Girl leaves much to be desired.
The movie drops many aspects of the novel, which is expected, but it doesn’t execute the remaining material gracefully.
Supporting characters are underdeveloped and become more of an annoyance, and ultimately the film leaves the audience feeling underwhelmed.
The choice of which actor plays which sister is interesting and pays off for the film.
The audience originally thinks Johansson should be the saucy Anne with Portman as the sweet Mary, but the duo succeeds, especially Portman.
Her wiliness is on point and she overshadows everyone on screen. Johansson holds her own but is no match for Portman.
The two work well together, though, providing the audience a good show of ultimate sibling rivalry.
Sturgess does well in this film, and the audience feels his pain in this twisted tale.
The only main character not up to par is Bana.
Viewers never feel any of his emotions except for irritation. Bana just gets shoved into the shadows by the scheming sisters.
Overall, The Other Boleyn Girl is an uneven costume drama with strong acting from Portman and Johansson.
