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34
10,000 B.C.
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36
College Road Trip
82
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31
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41
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57
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67
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54
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49
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34
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57
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78
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71
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61
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65
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79
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57
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35
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73
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24
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37
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51
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43
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58
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48
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55
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22
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69
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44
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53
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76
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37
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36
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37
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50
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61
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47
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55
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33
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93
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64
Wanted
36
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49
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
54
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93
WALL-E
82
Dark Knight, The
79
Iron Man
78
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
76
Shine a Light
73
Kung Fu Panda
71
Horton Hears a Who!
69
Redbelt
67
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
65
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
64
Wanted
62
Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The
61
Stop Loss
61
Incredible Hulk, The
58
Mist, The
57
Forbidden Kingdom, The
57
Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
57
Journey to the Center of the Earth 3D
55
Street Kings
55
Nim's Island
55
Baby Mama
54
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
54
Get Smart
53
Sex and the City: The Movie
51
Mamma Mia!
50
Step Brothers
49
Hancock
49
X-Files: I Want to Believe, The
48
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
47
Strangers, The
44
Ruins, The
43
Meet Dave
41
Drillbit Taylor
37
Made of Honor
37
Shutter
37
Speed Racer
36
Space Chimps
36
College Road Trip
36
What Happens in Vegas...
35
Jumper
34
Happening, The
34
10,000 B.C.
33
Superhero Movie
31
Deception
24
Love Guru, The
22
Postal
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

83
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67
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65
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39
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61
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80
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76
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79
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47
Bella
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
60
Blind Mountain
72
Boy A
55
Bra Boys
61
Brick Lane
64
Brideshead Revisited
63
Bustin' Down the Door
xx
Canary
70
Caramel
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
83
Chop Shop
83
Chris & Don. A Love Story
78
Counterfeiters, The
54
CSNY: Déjà Vu
75
Days and Clouds
48
Death Defying Acts
54
Diminished Capacity
47
Doorman, The
64
Dreams with Sharp Teeth
74
Duchess of Langeais, The
85
Edge of Heaven, The
28
Eight Miles High
54
Elsa & Fred
81
Encounters at the End of the World
62
Expired
64
Fall, The
59
Felon
51
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57
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86
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63
Foot Fist Way, The
60
Fugitive Pieces
72
Full Battle Rattle
47
Full Grown Men
31
Garden Party
55
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts
69
Go-Getter, The
73
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
59
Gunnin for that #1 Spot
10
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68
Heartbeat Detector
36
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68
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55
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66
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58
Jihad for Love, A
61
Kabluey
62
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63
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80
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38
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72
Lou Reed's Berlin
70
Love Songs
67
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66
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82
Man on Wire
64
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30
Meet Bill
33
Miss Conception
53
Mister Lonely
74
Mongol
52
Mother of Tears, The
52
My Blueberry Nights
71
My Brother Is an Only Child
84
My Winnipeg
44
No Regret
61
On the Rumba River
69
Operation Filmmaker
76
Order of Myths, The
61
OSS 117: Cairo - Nest of Spies
70
Outsourced
83
Paranoid Park
68
Praying with Lior
72
Priceless
51
Promotion, The
55
Quid Pro Quo
29
Red Roses and Petrol
79
Reprise
71
Roman de gare
78
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
56
Sangre de mi sangre
51
Savage Grace
76
Shotgun Stories
66
Son of Rambow
70
Standard Operating Procedure
57
Stone Angel, The
61
Stuck
72
Surfwise
25
Take
81
Tell No One
56
Then She Found Me
xx
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
71
To the Limit
54
Tracey Fragments, The
70
Transsiberian
71
Trumbo
71
Tuya's Marriage
xx
Two Tickets to Paradise
83
U2 3D
55
Unknown Woman
86
Up the Yangtze
59
Very British Gangster, A
79
Visitor, The
61
Wackness, The
37
War, Inc.
65
Water Lilies
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
55
Without the King
72
Woman on the Beach
64
XXY
67
Year My Parents Went on Vacation, The
75
Young@Heart
86
Up the Yangtze
86
Flight of the Red Balloon, The
85
Edge of Heaven, The
84
My Winnipeg
83
Chop Shop
83
Paranoid Park
83
Alexandra
83
Chris & Don. A Love Story
83
U2 3D
82
Man on Wire
81
Tell No One
81
Encounters at the End of the World
80
Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
80
Band's Visit, The
80
Last Mistress, The
79
Reprise
79
Visitor, The
79
Before I Forget
78
Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
78
Counterfeiters, The
76
Order of Myths, The
76
Shotgun Stories
76
Beauty in Trouble
75
Young@Heart
75
Days and Clouds
74
Mongol
74
Duchess of Langeais, The
73
Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
72
Lou Reed's Berlin
72
Woman on the Beach
72
Boy A
72
Full Battle Rattle
72
Priceless
72
Surfwise
71
Tuya's Marriage
71
To the Limit
71
My Brother Is an Only Child
71
Trumbo
71
Roman de gare
70
Transsiberian
70
Standard Operating Procedure
70
Love Songs
70
Outsourced
70
Caramel
69
Go-Getter, The
69
Operation Filmmaker
68
Heartbeat Detector
68
Honeydripper
68
Praying with Lior
67
Year My Parents Went on Vacation, The
67
Alice's House
67
Mad Detective
66
Son of Rambow
66
Jellyfish
66
Man Named Pearl, A
66
When Did You Last See Your Father?
65
American Teen
65
Water Lilies
64
Married Life
64
Dreams with Sharp Teeth
64
XXY
64
Fall, The
64
Brideshead Revisited
63
Bustin' Down the Door
63
Foot Fist Way, The
63
Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
62
Expired
62
Kiss the Bride
61
Brick Lane
61
Stuck
61
Kabluey
61
OSS 117: Cairo - Nest of Spies
61
Baghead
61
On the Rumba River
61
Wackness, The
60
Fugitive Pieces
60
Blind Mountain
59
Gunnin for that #1 Spot
59
Very British Gangster, A
59
Felon
58
Jihad for Love, A
57
Flawless
57
Stone Angel, The
56
Then She Found Me
56
Sangre de mi sangre
55
Quid Pro Quo
55
Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts
55
Irina Palm
55
Unknown Woman
55
Bra Boys
55
Without the King
54
Diminished Capacity
54
Tracey Fragments, The
54
Elsa & Fred
54
CSNY: Déjà Vu
53
Mister Lonely
52
Mother of Tears, The
52
My Blueberry Nights
51
Finding Amanda
51
Promotion, The
51
Savage Grace
49
Children of Huang Shi, The
48
Death Defying Acts
47
Doorman, The
47
Bella
47
Full Grown Men
44
No Regret
39
August
38
Life Before Her Eyes, The
37
War, Inc.
36
Holding Trevor
33
Miss Conception
31
Garden Party
30
Meet Bill
29
Red Roses and Petrol
28
Eight Miles High
25
Take
10
Harold
xx
Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic
xx
Two Tickets to Paradise
xx
Canary
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
|
Other Boleyn Girl, The
Columbia Pictures (Sony)
 |
|
MPAA RATING: PG-13 for mature thematic elements, sexual content and some violent images
Starring
Natalie Portman,
Scarlett Johansson,
Eric Bana,
Kristin Scott Thomas,
Mark Rylance,
and
David Morrissey
Based on the best-selling novel by Philippa Gregory, The Other Boleyn Girl is an engrossing and sensual tale of intrigue, romance, and betrayal set against the backdrop of a defining moment in history. Two sisters, Anne and Mary Boleyn, are driven by their ambitious father and uncle to advance the family's power and status by courting the affections of the King of England. Leaving behind the simplicity of country life, the girls are thrust into the dangerous and thrilling world of court life. What began as a bid to help their family develops into a ruthless rivalry between Anne and Mary for the love of the king. Initially, Mary wins King Henry's favor and becomes his mistress, bearing him an illegitimate child. But Anne--clever, conniving, and fearless--edges aside both her sister and Henry's wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon, in her relentless pursuit of the king. Despite Mary's genuine feelings for Henry, her sister Anne has her sights set on the ultimate prize: Anne will not stop until she is Queen of England. As the Boleyn girls battle for the love of a king--one driven by ambition, the other by true affection--England is torn apart. Despite the dramatic consequences, the Boleyn girls ultimately find strength and loyalty in each other, remaining forever connected by their bond as sisters. (Columbia)
| GENRE(S): |
Drama
|
| WRITTEN BY: |
Peter Morgan
|
| DIRECTED BY: |
Justin Chadwick
|
| RELEASE DATE: |
DVD: June 10, 2008
Theatrical: February 29, 2008
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
115 minutes, Color |
| ORIGIN: |
UK |

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
83
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
William Arnold
An absorbing, exciting costume drama that works as a historical romance, a family tragedy and a showcase for its young stars.

75
ReelViews
James Berardinelli
The result is an entertainingly sudsy trip through early 16th century English history.

75
Entertainment Weekly
Owen Gleiberman
A classy romantic cocktail distinguished by its tart yet breezy bite.

75
San Francisco Chronicle
Mick LaSalle
An enjoyable movie with an entertaining angle on a hard-to-resist period of history.

75
Christian Science Monitor
Peter Rainer
A richly appointed period piece, it features kingly tantrums, mistresses, bodices, roaring fireplaces, incest, and mutton. It also features sharply enunciated, period-perfect dialogue in which nary a contraction can be heard.

70
LA Weekly
Chuck Wilson
Stuck for years playing young women who are the idealized object of male desire (Portman and Johansson)-- flaw-free and, in Johansson's case, barely conscious -- they come alive in The Other Boleyn Girl, as if being bound up in costumer Sandy Powell's exquisite gowns has freed them from the tighter constraints of their own beauty.

70
Variety
Derek Elley
A sexy, good-looking political bodice-ripper with an almost flawless cast at the top of its game.

67
Austin Chronicle
Marc Savlov
Works both as an engagingly sordid meditation on protofeminism and contemporized sisterhood set in a time and a place where either/or were grounds for, at the very least, defenestration.

67
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Tasha Robinson
The film looks terrific, all Vermeer-style light/dark interplay and sleek design. And Portman is fantastic as the tempestuous Anne.

63
Premiere
Andrew Grant
Two-hours of trashy eye-candy that, while fast and loose with the truth, functions as a perfectly adequate divertissement in a time of year when studios tend to unleash their worst.

63
Chicago Tribune
Jessica Reaves
Eric Bana doesn’t have much to do as Henry VIII except play the monarch as an overgrown spoiled brat. He is, however, awfully nice to look at.

63
Philadelphia Inquirer
Carrie Rickey
Feels less like an epic drama about power and the power of love than an episode of a Masterpiece Theatre mini-series.

63
TV Guide
Maitland McDonagh
It's a terrific showcase for battling Boleyn babes Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman.

63
Rolling Stone
Peter Travers
In Portman's dynamic performance you can see strength and vulnerability warring for Anne's soul. In this bedroom view of history, it's that image that sticks.

60
Empire
Will Lawrence
A rather titillating take on a racy historical novel, this is perhaps too ambitious in intent. More time, or more pruning (perhaps they should just have focused on The Boleyn girl), would have produced a richer and more enjoyable film.

60
The Hollywood Reporter
Ray Bennett
Shot in high definition and filmed at many historic locations, the film somehow still lacks the splendor of an epic, and its urgency to get on with the next plot point leaves much unexplained while context goes out the window.

60
Slate
Dana Stevens
For a movie whose story hinges almost entirely on sex, The Other Boleyn Girl is disappointingly demure.

50
New York Magazine
David Edelstein
A brisk feminist melodrama that is, historically speaking, a load of wank. It has the feel of a game of “telephone,” in which information is progressively mangled.

50
Charlotte Observer
Lawrence Toppman
If you're indifferent to silly revisions of history and bad acting, you may enjoy The Other Boleyn Girl. I'm not, and I didn't.

50
Miami Herald
Connie Ogle
Think "Cruel Intentions" in period costume, or better yet, Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette," which managed to take its subject matter lightly and seriously at the same time.

50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)
Rick Groen
What might have been delicious trash lacks the courage of its trashy convictions, and the result is high-born melodrama with the juice boiled out, so much dry cabbage on fine-china plate.

50
Chicago Reader
Jonathan Rosenbaum
It's neither sexy enough to qualify as good trash nor serious enough to pass for history.

50
New York Daily News
Elizabeth Weitzman
Chadwick builds a brisk pace and sweeping scope that initially grab our interest. But this Anne's sole motivations are sex and greed, and the wild rumors that were designed to destroy her are treated here as gospel.

50
USA Today
Claudia Puig
Can't quite figure out what it wants to be.
At times it strains to be a stately period drama about 16th-century political intrigue. Then it devolves into soap opera muck and emerges as a rather tame bodice ripper.

50
Los Angeles Times
Kenneth Turan
Not content to be a mildly diverting royal bodice-ripper, it spirals out of control into the kind of overwrought dramaturgy that's out of its league.

42
Baltimore Sun
Michael Sragow
This rendering of the turbulent second marriage of England's King Henry VIII proves too heavy-footed for the old movie two-step of setting up a morality tale, then exploiting it for heat and titillation.

40
Washington Post
Desson Thomson
Even by its own standards, the movie becomes increasingly macabre and ludicrous as Anne's machinations get the better of her, and everyone, including the audience, is left feeling shattered, shaken and vaguely unclean for having participated in all this.

40
The New York Times
Manohla Dargis
Forced to compete for kingly favors, the women were soon rivals, a contest that, in its few meagerly entertaining moments, recalls the sisterly love in “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?”

40
Wall Street Journal
Joe Morgenstern
After covering much of its ground at a stylish canter, The Other Boleyn Girl finishes at a plod.

38
Boston Globe
Ty Burr
Not good enough to take seriously and, sadly, not bad enough to be any fun.

38
New York Post
Lou Lumenick
It's pretty hard to make a dull movie about Henry VIII and his complicated love life, but The Other Boleyn Girl, a failed Oscar contender, manages to do just that, with yawns to spare.

33
Portland Oregonian
M. E. Russell
The all-description storytelling leads to other problems, too, the worst being that "Boleyn" suffers from the same affliction as "The Golden Compass," where you're told about interesting stuff happening elsewhere in another movie you'd much rather be watching.

30
Salon.com
Stephanie Zacharek
The most sterile of bodice-rippers, a genteel soap opera in which the sex and intrigue are so muted, so tasteful, that they practically blow off the screen in a scattering of dust.

10
Film Threat
Matthew Sorrento
The falling blade is the only element not missing the mark in this film. I wanted to call for the beheading after Act One, and spare the audience instead.


The average user rating for this movie is 6.1 (out of 10) based on 27 User Votes
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