This movie is so bad that it is funny. I am not sure what is up with these sexy historical dramas. With the cable show The Tudors and this one, it seems to be a trend. Also, let’s not forget all those Elizabeth movies.
The Boleyn Girl is a quasi-historical telling of the English King Henry the 8th, and his many women. Specifically, the divorce of Catherine of Aragon, which lead to the English split with the Roman Catholic Church, and beheading of Anne Boleyn; who gave birth to Elizabeth the 1st. The story, albeit, is told from a feminists’ point of view.
The strongest part of the film is its star power. Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, and Eric Bana are the main characters. I would probably would not see this obvious soap opera if it did not have Portman and Johansson, probably the two most beautiful women in film right now. From what my sister tells me Bana is also attractive. So this is the selling point all three of them in the same movie.
Not advertised but The Boleyn Girl also stars Jim Sturgess. He is the charismatic leading man from the recent hits Across the Universe and 21.
Another interesting aspect is that it seems that the movie was shot on location at the Tower of London; so that actual places where these events really took place.
Sadly, that’s where the realism ends. The rest of movie is a bit of a joke, and not even a cheeky one at that. There is such high drama it is suffocating. It is easy to laugh at it, because it is so over-the-top. It makes a Mexican soap-opera look like a BBC special.
On a bit of a disturbing note, Anne Boleyn, the agent of deceptive change that causes everyone great suffering and also the split of the church, is played by Natalie Portman; a Jewish girl is the icon of Semitic beauty. The good girl, who is blond and very Nordic looking, is played Scarlett Johansson. In the end Boleyn, Portman, gets beheaded. This is the classic anti-Jewish myth. I hope I am wrong in seeing this anti-Semitic theme.
Anyway, the movie is bad. Even the eye candy doesn’t make it worth it. The events are so laced with a feminist residue so that it spoils any historical relevance. It would be a good Mystery Science Theater 3000 movie, if anyone remembers that old Comedy Central show. I am not even sure that this movie is still out in theatre as I have taken forever to get this review out. Nevertheless, skip this one.
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