Somewhere on the List

Rating: 5/10 (15 April 2008)

I actually did look forward to this film. I practically dragged my sister to the cinema so we could see the adaptation of Philippa Gregory's bestseller. Given, I was half expecting distortion, but this is movie's alteration is in a class of its own. The already twisted history of Philippa Gregory was transformed to something else entirely, a movie that only feints historical reference. But you don't really come to the movies to be given a history lecture now do you? No. You come to be entertained. Was I entertained? Far from.
Firstly, I believe credit was not given to where credit was due. To present Eric Bana and Scarlet Johansson as the main attractions of this film is falsification to the maximum extent. I can honestly say that Johansson looked uncomfortable in the role. She looked awkward in unauthentic. She made me feel as if I was watching an amateur video, and not in the good way. She seemed all too scripted for me, as if there were no internalization to her character or even a thought on how she should portray her character in an honest way, but at the same time in a refined way. Granted that she has been in the industry for a long time, I do believe that she has much more to learn and hopefully, this movie would be a stepping stone for a better performance in her next film, Mary Queen of Scots. I would hate to see that destroyed by overacting and awkward expression.
Eric Bana. What can I say. I expected more from you. I pity the people who see him first on this film. Please do watch his other works, he does better there. I promise. Troy! Munich! Please don't judge the man too harshly. He does have talent, just not exhibited well in this particular film. Aside from the grunting noises and pensieve faces, this movie did nothing for showcasing the talent that we know is in Bana somewhere down there.
Now, on to the pleasant surprises. Yes people, I did like some parts of it.
Natalie Portman. I expected to see her sink like a rock in this film. I did. Coming into the theater, all i could remember of her was the atrocious Star Wars Prequels. That still gives me nightmares. But this film, in the role of the ambitious Anne Boleyn, she reminded me of that girl I saw in Paris Je t'aime. Now that is the Natalie Portman worth seeing. In the first few scenes of the movie, I was thinking, 'why did I watch this instead of Horton Hears A Who?', but as the film progressed, so did she. I must say, when it came down to it, she did a spectacular job. She gave a convincing performance of a scorned girl, pining for revenge, bent on keeping her power and her head. Portman commands the screen and shows us that she is not only a bankable investment for any producer, but also a talented one at that.
Jim Strurgess give a blossoming and dynamic performance as the enigmatic George Boleyn. His star is rising. Mark my words. His performance as the double-dealing, conniving, yet also emphatic noble in a court designed for corruption gave me hope that you can be in a big, blockbuster movie yet still maintain the integrity of good acting. But then again, what else would you expect from good old Jude? And of course, I would love to shed a light on the unsung heroes of The Other Boleyn Girl! Kristen Scott Thomas, Ana Torent and Eddie Redmayne! I must say that their presence made such an impression of me, despite the fact that they had such little screen time! Why was that? I shall never know.
Ana Torent gave a regal performance, no less than can be expected from a woman who plays Catherine of Aragon. Her final scene in the film left me with my jaw hanging open and the word 'WHOA' coming out of my mouth. She was sublimely amazing and gave me the lift that I needed to reassure myself that my money was not wasted on this film.
The same goes for Eddie Redmayne. For anyone who's seen him in Savage Grace and Like Minds, you know that the man has talent. Why that talent was not given more a role when William Stafford was such an interesting character in the book (showing that court life can produce some decent ones and that you can be a commoner but still happy - the moral haven for Mary's sullied life), again, I shall never know. But rest assured, that one long scene he did (perhaps five minutes or so), was worth it for him, but know that the young actor has more in him than that.
Kristen Scott Thomas was definitely worthy of praise. Though her role was more tame and motherly than that of Lady Boleyn in the book, she made me think that the movie version was better. And that is saying something, especially in this adaptation.
With regards to the rest of the film, all I can say is, it was a mediocre historical film. It did not knock Anne of A Thousand Days as the best film on the subject of Anne Boleyn, but it was certainly not a total flop for reasons mentioned above.
So if you are looking for a good watch on the Tudor intrigue, this wouldn't be the first on my list, nor the second, nor the third, but it is somewhere there. Hey. Be thankful that it is no Virgin Territory with Mischa Barton. Thank God for that.