twists and turns in the plot are not very entertaining

Rating: 5/10 (2 March 2009)

Despite the strong performances, this is just too depressing to be really enjoyable. Anne and Mary Boleyn (Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson) are sisters competing for the affections of the King (Eric Bana as Henry Tudor). The King is seeking a male heir to his throne, and when the Queen is unable to provide one, he decides to take a mistress. He is attracted to Anne, but then he meets Mary and falls for her. Mary would prefer a simple life in the country with her husband, but her father (Mark Rylance as Sir Thomas Boleyn) and uncle (David Morrissey as Thomas Howard - Duke of Norfolk) pressure her into becoming the King's whore. But the King becomes bored with the simple girl, and he falls under the spell of the scheming Anne. She persuades him to break with the Catholic church and have his marriage annulled, so that she can marry him. Of course her tricks all back-fire when the King realizes how he's being manipulated. Unfortunately, all these twists and turns in the plot are not very entertaining. The acting is consistently fine, especially by Portman, and the film is visually outstanding. The story just becomes too unpleasant as it unfolds, and the phony happy ending doesn't fool anyone.