All
those who requested another period piece based on the corruption of
middle century Europe, please stand forward...
What...
no one? Not one person requested it? Funny that - because it's the
second we've had in about six months... and I'm sure as hell not the
one that put it on my
Christmas list.
Based on the best selling novel (what isn't these days - yet, we are
still to see a big screen adaption of BFG...) by Philippa
Gregory, The Other
Boleyn Girl is essentially a non-related prequel to Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age
(and one can only imagine, the way things are going, the prequel/sequel
to Elizabeth IV: Tokyo
Drift).
Engrossing as it is downright trashy, Boleyn comes as
somewhat of a surprisingly watchable piece of history.
Much like the
multi-award winning Atonement,
Boleyn
gets started rather stereotypically (you know the score : bad English
accents, cheesy romance, well groomed folk who wouldn't have the
resources to be so
clean) but quickly takes off on it's own path which makes Jerry Springer seem
like Hi-5.
The
flick follows the sisters Boleyn, Anne and Mary played by the sexy duo
of Natalie Portman (queen of cute) & Scarlett
Johansson (she
of enormous lips), who are driven by their ambitious (if not slightly
feeble) father and corrupt power-hungry uncle to advance the family's
power and status by courting the affections of the King of England.
Easy task...
However,
things soon go pear shaped after the King's (Australia's Eric Bana) eye
wanders to the "ugly" sister and throws Uncle Boleyn's plans into
disarray. What remains is a good ol' fashioned sisterly Melrose Place
style scrag match for the love of a King (one driven by ambition, the
other by true affection) until England is literally torn apart.
The
performances aren't likely to win anyone any statues of merit any time
soon (and as proud as I am of Bana being an Aussie and making a name
for himself, I'm yet to see him in a performance that shows any of the
skills which warrants such success) but everyone gives enough to keep
things moving. The real winner here is the truly sordid (and, sadly,
true) tales of our past.
And, honestly, we all really have to
wonder why the hell we put faith in our leaders - when they all have
more skeletons in their closets than Hannibal Lector.
Not as bad or boring as it could have been, The Other Boleyn Girl
turns out to be something of a guilty pleasure.
3 out
of 5
The Other
Boleyn Girl
Australian release: 13th March, 2008
Cast: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana Director: Justin Chadwick
Movie Website:Official
Website
