ROYAL FUN TO BE HAD IN 'THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL'.Byline: Glenn Whipp Film Critic If Academy voters gave an Oscar nomination to Cate Blanchett for her veins-a-poppin' performance in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," how will they recognize Natalie Portman, who plays Elizabeth's power-hungry mom in the breezy bodice-ripper "The Other Boleyn Girl"? Portman played royalty in the last "Star Wars" trilogy, but her Anne Boleyn here would have chewed up Padme, giving the leftovers to husband Henry to devour after he finished munching that ubiquitous drumstick drumstick /drum·stick/ (-stik) a nuclear lobule attached by a slender strand to the nucleus of some polymorphonuclear leukocytes of normal females but not of normal males. . Portman's on-screen transition from precocious girl to adult hasn't always been smooth, but her spirited work here and in Wes Anderson's "Hotel Chevalier" show a young woman entering the prime of her career. Not that anyone will look back at "The Other Boleyn Girl" as some kind of classic. But this streamlined adaptation of Philippa Gregory's fanciful historical novel is fine fun, enlivened by Peter Morgan's ("The Queen") engaging script, Portman's scenery chewing and a soulful turn from Scarlett Johansson in the title role. That other Boleyn girl is Mary, a naive beauty who accidentally usurps sister Anne's designs on Henry (Eric Bana), yields to family pressure and becomes the king's mistress. Her sister's spiteful advice: "Try to please him -- if you can." Please him she does, and after a couple of chaste, candlelit can·dle·lit adj. Illuminated by candles: a candlelit ceremony. lovemaking love·mak·ing n. 1. Sexual activity, especially sexual intercourse. 2. Courtship; wooing. lovemaking Noun 1. scenes, Mary conceives a child. Unfortunately (for her), the pregnancy means bed rest, putting Henry back on the prowl. Anne returns from her exile in France, instructed to "entertain the king and keep his mind on Mary at all times." Those possessing a passing familiarity with royal history or BBC BBC in full British Broadcasting Corp. Publicly financed broadcasting system in Britain. A private company at its founding in 1922, it was replaced by a public corporation under royal charter in 1927. costume dramas know Anne didn't exactly listen. Then again, Anne and Mary weren't learning the meaning of sisterhood sisterhood: see monasticism. through catfights and betrayal, either. "The Other Boleyn Girl" is to monarchs what next week's "10,000 BC" is to prehistoric times -- hogwash hog·wash n. 1. Worthless, false, or ridiculous speech or writing; nonsense. 2. Garbage fed to hogs; swill. hogwash Noun Informal nonsense Noun 1. . But it's tony baloney, and positively demure de·mure adj. de·mur·er, de·mur·est 1. Modest and reserved in manner or behavior. 2. Affectedly shy, modest, or reserved. See Synonyms at shy1. when compared to Showtime's bawdy bawd·y adj. bawd·i·er, bawd·i·est 1. Humorously coarse; risqué. 2. Vulgar; lewd. bawd  i·ly adv. miniseries "The Tudors." "The Other
Boleyn Girl" might play around with sexual politics, but at its
heart, it's about a bond that cannot be broken -- not even by the
blade of a sword.
Glenn Whipp, (818) 713-3672 glenn.whipp(at)dailynews.com THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL - Three stars >PG-13: sexual content, some violent images. >Starring: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana. >Director: Justin Chadwick. >Running time: 1 hr. 55 min. >Playing: Area wide. >In a nutshell: Breezy bodice-ripper. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Sisters Mary (Scarlett Johansson, left) and Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) vy for the love of King Henry VIII in "The Other Boleyn Girl." |
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