This period drama could be called Elizabeth: The Prequel for potential marathon showings with the Cate Blanchett films. It does, after all, deal with Elizabeth's mother and her rise and fall from grace, not to mention her role as a key figure in kick-starting the English Reformation with King Henry VIII. However, despite this being based on fact, I would not go so far as to view it as a history lesson. I am not so sure I would recommend viewing it for entertainment either. Despite a cast boasting Natalie Portman, Scarlet Johansson, and Eric Bana, I would be hard pressed to rave about the acting, or anything else.

The Other Boleyn Girl concerns itself with the sexual and personal politics used by families to gain stature, power, and wealth. It also shows what happens when one wields more power than they actually have and dig themselves in a hole of insurmountable depth. To top it off, the proceedings are handled in dry, melodramatic fashion that makes it look like a stage play with close-ups.

After sitting through the two-hour long film, I am left wondering just what I was supposed to take from it. Was it the corruption of power (perceived or otherwise)? Or perhaps the ties of family? Maybe it was just about the relationships and ways of a bygone era. Whatever the case may be, I left not really caring about any of it.

To be honest, the film is not bad on any technical level (of course, it did not excel either). It is shot well, has decent pacing, and generally looks good. The problem is in the execution; it fails to bring any sort of heart or energy to the screen. I found The Other Boleyn Girl to be lacking in the character department — I could not get up enough of a reason to care about the Boleyn girls or their fate.

The Boleyn family saga plays out like a twisted soap opera, with betrayal, seduction, and manipulation. If not for the execution of the tale, theirs is one of complicated fascination. The era is vastly different from our own and I cannot claim any real working knowledge other than what I remember from history class and what I have gleaned from other period dramas.

The father of the two Boleyn girls, Mary (Scarlet Johansson) and Anne (Natalie Portman), seeks to use them to increase the family's standing and power. When the opportunity arises, he jumps at the chance and sets Anne about the task of seduction in order that she may become the mistress of the king.

What follows is Mary catching the eye of King Henry VIII, despite her being married already. He takes her as his mistress, which sets off Anne, who believes that to be her rightful place. Several betraying and manipulating steps later, the places of the two girls switch. Anne's power rises higher and higher, and we all know what happens once you reach the top — there is no place to go but down.