Summary: Based on the best-selling novel The Other Boleyn Girl is a captivating tale of intrigue romance and betrayal starring Natalie Portman Scarlett Johansson and Eric Bana. Two sisters Anne (Portman) and Mary (Johansson) are driven by their ambitious family to seduce the king of England (Bana) in order to advance their position in court. What starts as an opportunity for the girls to increase the family fortune becomes a deadly rivalry to capture the heart of a king and stay alive.
Review: I knew not to expect much from the movie since the book is one of my favorites for 2008, but I really couldn't believe they said it was even based on the book. If that's what based on means, well then I guess they just liked Ms. Gregory's idea. The Other Boleyn Girl
is slow in the first half of the movie and finally picks up speed, only to have it end. At one point I even asked my sister if we should bother finishing it!
They missed key points of the book that I felt were essential to the storyline and the definitely down played the politics which were vital to King Henry's reign as King. I thought the casting was decent; Eric Bana as King Henry was delicious to look at and even Scarlet Johannsen was believable as Mary Boleyn. The only miscast I would say was Natalie Portman as Anne Boleyn. Natalie is an extremely talented actress but this role was not right for her, in my humble opinion. Anne is vindicitive, coniviving, schemeing and an outright witch with a "b" and that just didn't come through for me with Natalie.
It was a decent interpretation of the book but had some gaping plot holes where the book was nice and tidy. I mean the book was about Mary, Anne was secondary and I felt that the movie made it the opposite.
You are better off reading the book or if that's not your thing, then watch The Tudors - The Complete First Season
because while it's not based on the book, it's closer than the movie that was. Plus, Jonathan Rhys Meyers is easy on the eyes.
Book to Movie Final Take: 3/5
Related:
Lisa's Movie Review: The Other Boleyn Girl
Julie's Book Review: The Other Boleyn Girl
Thanks for this comparison with the book. Usually, I read a book before I see the movie, but this time . . . And I was going to pass on the book because the movie was so disappointing. I'll put it back in my TBR pile thanks to your remarks!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree. I had read the book first and then watched the movie. I was really disappointed in the movie and one of the main reasons was that they made it all about Anne when that wasn't so in the book. I mentioned the same thing in my review and that was to read the book and watch The Tudors-it does a really good job of relating that time in history properly. Great review of book to movie.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Rhys Meyers, yum
ReplyDeleteHuh, thanks for the info. It was one of my fave books last year and I was excited to hear about the movie, but now maybe it's not worth it. I have been meaning to watch the Tudors, though. And indeed, a big yum to Jonathan Rhys Meyers! :)
ReplyDelete