The Other Boleyn Girl

Play trailer

The Other Boleyn Girl

PG-13

2008

1h 55m

History

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

43%

Tomatometer

146 Reviews

62%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) lacks an heir. Seeing this as an opportunity for personal gain, the Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey) and Sir Thomas Boleyn (Mark Rylance) persuade Thomas' daughter Anne (Natalie Portman) to seduce the king. But Henry falls in love with Anne's sister, Mary (Scarlett Johansson), instead. When Mary becomes pregnant, she's confined to bed, with charged with Anne keeping the king from straying -- but the plan backfires when Anne seeks the king's affections for herself.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Though it features some extravagant and entertaining moments, The Other Boleyn Girl feels more like a soap opera than historical drama.

Read Critics Reviews

Kevin Maher

The Times (UK)

04/09/2021

4/5

A hoot.

Go to Full Review

Deborah Ross

The Spectator

08/23/2018

This is cliché heaped on cliché and hopelessly artificial.

Go to Full Review

David Ansen

Newsweek

02/01/2018

... loses steam when the catfighting abruptly gives way to grim realpolitik.

Go to Full Review

Martin Tsai

New York Sun

04/21/2023

The film is marginally enjoyable in that sort of sleazy Jerry Springer fashion, but the filmmakers aren’t making a compelling case here for why their artistic license is necessarily more amusing or insightful than history itself.

Go to Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

11/28/2020

3/10

The concept of despicable people doing contemptible things never really leads to solid entertainment.

Go to Full Review

Richard Propes

TheIndependentCritic.com

09/19/2020

2.5/4.0

Largely carried by Portman's stellar performance.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Daniel M

@MazzaQuePasa Oct 1

I definitely never expected to like this movie as much as I did. Amazing performances by Johansson and Portman with a really good cast as well. Probably one of the most messed up and tragic love stories I’ve ever seen.

See more

David D

@David2026 03/07/2025

A regularly told tale. Here it is told well with a great cast delivering performances that are trying to keep pace given the squeezing of so much into such a relatively short time frame. Yes, it takes liberties with the original story...but how else do you retell. Certainly worth a watch.

See more

binta s

@RT57298800 03/07/2025

Very good acting from both Portman and Johanssen. An overall good watch. No periodically sound but the execution was very good

See more

Mons G

@RT67623792 03/06/2025

Says "costume drama" on the label but comes across as a histo-exploitation thriller. Some of the actors, e.g. Rylance, Johansson and Scott-Thomas provide a modicum of quality and the set designs are uniformly excellent but it's all dragged down by some weak acting (Portman, Bana) and join-the-dots historical narrative. This has an all-star cast but few star performances.

See more

Giovana L

@Giovana183 01/27/2025

Chato pra caramba,pelo menos todos tiveram consequências de suas ações estúpidas.

See more

Alain E

@AlainE 12/04/2024

Apparently I just appreciated a soap opera. Thank you wise ones! Seeing how many crappy movies get 3 and 4 stars, the organized attack against this film is quite intriguing. It is available on Tubi for nothing, so if you agree it’s not worth it, you just go back and watch something else. Acting, especially by Portman and Johansson is of the first order, without any elements of melodrama. Color photography and the framing are superb. Every scene looks like it originated in an oil painting from a few centuries ago. Totally enjoyable!

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Justin Chadwick

Director

Natalie Portman

Anne Boleyn

Scarlett Johansson

Mary Boleyn

Eric Bana

King Henry VIII

Kristin Scott Thomas

Lady Elizabeth

Mark Rylance

Sir Thomas Boleyn

Risen

53%

70%

Risen

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Risen

Marie Antoinette

57%

56%

Marie Antoinette

Watchlist

Lady Jane

56%

76%

Lady Jane

Watchlist

The Duchess

62%

67%

The Duchess

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Duchess

Anonymous

47%

53%

Anonymous

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

RT on DVD: Bosomy Boleyn Girls, Jumper, John Adams

UK Box Office Breakdown: 10,000 B.C. claims no. 1 spot

Box Office Guru Wrapup: Horton Hears Cash Registers Ring at Box Office

View more photos

Synopsis

King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) lacks an heir. Seeing this as an opportunity for personal gain, the Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey) and Sir Thomas Boleyn (Mark Rylance) persuade Thomas' daughter Anne (Natalie Portman) to seduce the king. But Henry falls in love with Anne's sister, Mary (Scarlett Johansson), instead. When Mary becomes pregnant, she's confined to bed, with charged with Anne keeping the king from straying -- but the plan backfires when Anne seeks the king's affections for herself.

Director: Justin Chadwick
Producer: Alison Owen
Screenwriter: Peter Morgan
Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
Production Co: Columbia Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Sexual Content|Mature Thematic Elements|Some Violent Images)
Genre: History, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 29, 2008, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA): $26.8M
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: SDDS, Dolby Digital, DTS, Dolby SRD
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

Most Popular at Home Now