Falling victim to the same excesses as Elizabeth: The Golden Age, The Other Boleyn Girl is beautiful to look at but lacks deep emotion.
Screenwriter Peter Morgan, who was nominated for an Oscar for The Queen, fails to delve beneath the glossy surface of Philippa Gregory's novel. Certainly, the central plot is tantalising - the rivalry between two sisters for the love of King Henry VIII - but apart from Sandy Powell's costumes and John-Paul Kelly's production design, there is little on screen to keep us spellbound for almost two hours.
Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson are cast effectively as the ambitious, ruthless vamp and the naive woman of virtue, whose worlds are turned upside down by their flings with the buff monarch, who is governed by his loins rather than his head.
The Other Boleyn Girl sets out its stall as a frothy bodice ripper, but, in the second hour, the film becomes bogged down with historical detail and consequently has to rush the climax when Anne pays a horrific price for her jealousy.
As the narrative gathers pace, the lead actresses have nowhere to go with their performances other than to act as schemer and saint until the unhappy ending.
Drama/Romance. Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jim Sturgess, Juno Temple, Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne, Ana Torrent, Alfie Allen. Director: Justin Chadwick.
RATING: TWO AND A HALF STARS
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