An enjoyable film with a few flaws

Rating: 8/10 (2 March 2008)

MANY SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW (although, uh, I hope you know the historical spoilers already) I went into The Other Boleyn Girl without having read the book, so I have very little knowledge of any differences between the two. (A friend, who had read it, said the major difference is Mary's attitude toward Anne -- I read the last few pages of the book after seeing the film and even then it's plain to see that the Mary in the book is less affectionate and less forgiving, while in the film she is much kinder and softer and eventually "makes peace" with Anne.) I'd love to say that I left The Other Boleyn Girl absolutely pleased, but there were a few flaws in the film that I couldn't overlook.
The editing wasn't TERRIBLE, but it left me a bit disappointed. There were many time jumps in the film - understandable, since it begins with Mary's wedding to a merchant and ends with Anne beheaded and Mary taking Elisabeth out of court. However, the time jumps were not treated very well in most cases -- they would just JUMP without any sort of transition. One example would be Mary Boleyn being forced to leave court because of Anne's wishes, and then the very next scene is Anne giving birth. It's obvious that there is a time jump, but it didn't work very well without some sort of transition.
The ending seemed very rushed to me. It went too quickly. There was no tension in the scene of Anne's trial, no dramatic build up -- as the scene that (I would expect) most viewers to be familiar with (that is, Anne's death) it would've helped to build up to the moment instead of just rushing through the trial, Mary's begging of the king to save Anne, and then the execution.
The subtitles describing what happened to several of the key players was interesting, but I felt poorly worded. The last bit about Elizabeth had me and a friend cracking up, because it was just terribly cheesy. Yes, I think they should've mentioned that Elizabeth ended up being one of the greatest rulers in English history, but the way it was worded was just... very bad. (I also felt they should've mentioned something about Henry and Jane Seymour, as well as the rest of the wives he took and their fates. Or at very least that he remarried several times.) There are good points, of course.
The costumes are absolutely luscious -- I found myself watching the way that the colors of Anne's dresses began to change throughout the film. (I'm a costume person, so I don't expect other people to really care, but...) Anne begins in happy blues and greens, transforms into the Queen and takes on her sister's colors of yellow and red, dons Queen Catherine's colors of dark Spanish black, and ends in a royal blue befitting of the role.
The acting is more than satisfactory. While it took a few minutes to get used to Natalie Portman speaking with a British accent, she pulls it off well and it seems natural once you get into it. Natalie Portman was one of the best actresses in this film, and although it's a much, much different portrayal of Anne Boleyn than most films, she pulls it off spectacularily. She's ambitious but aware that it's all falling apart due to her own actions. Her death scene was very tragic (although a bit inaccurate, as she would've placed her head on a block.... but this film is not for people looking for historical accuracy) and although it differed very very much so than in the book, the last moments of Mary and Anne looking at each other was memorable.
Eric Bana and Scarlet Johannson are wonderful as well. I can't think of anybody that was bad in the film, actually, except the actress for Jane Parker/Seymour was a bit annoying.
All in all, it's an enjoyable movie. I wouldn't consider it a good film for history buffs that can't get over inaccuracies, or for people who find themselves incapable of loving a film different than the book, but I can imagine that even the typical teenager will enjoy the dramatic passions and love affairs of the film.