The Other Boleyn Girl
Starring: Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana, Kristin Scott Thomas
Directed by: Justin Chadwick
Release date: February 29, 2008

The Plot: Like the title promises, the film takes a different tact in exploring the well-known relationship between Anne Boleyn (Portman) and King Henry VIII (Bana) by reminding people that Anne had a sister, Mary (Johansson) to whom the lusty monarch also had an attraction. Their love triangle is a steamy mess of political backstabbing and family squabbling.

The Pros: A decidedly un-stodgy cast for what could potentially be a stodgy costume drama helps matters considerably, and it's nice to see Portman dig into her darker side a little bit as the manipulative and ambitious Anne.

The Cons: Has Showtime's The Tudors already satiated audience's thirst for the sex, lies, and minuets of King Henry's court? Plus, the barely noticed theatrical run of Elizabeth: The Golden Age might also indicate audiences' ambivalence toward costume dramas generally.

Cheat Sheet:

• Despite the trailer's suggestion that Mary was an innocent, history claims she had in fact been involved in numerous affairs before King Henry, including one with King Francis I of France.
• The trailer also portrays the Boleyn girls as originally very close, but torn apart by their competition over Henry. This, too, isn't backed up by history; the Boleyn girls traveled in different social circles.
• The film is based on the novel of the same name by Philippa Gregory.
• Actor Eddie Redmayne appears in the film as William Stafford, a man of low rank who secretly marries Mary. He previously appeared in the cable mini-series Elizabeth I and Elizabeth: The Golden Age, both about, obviously, Anne's daughter and Mary's niece, Elizabeth I.

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