The Other Boleyn Girl

"It's pretty, passionate, and full of historical poppycock."

"What works is the combustible teaming of Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, who give the Boleyn hotties a tough core of intelligence and wit."

"More slog than romp..."

"The falling blade is the only element not missing the mark in this film."

"Why in the name of ermine boleros would anyone make such a dull, coy and, worst of all, pretty film about Anne Boleyn?"

"An entertaining bodice ripper lightly disguised as historical fiction."

"OK as far as it goes, which is not far enough."

"Not good enough to take seriously and, sadly, not bad enough to be any fun."

"Neither sexy enough to qualify as good trash nor serious enough to pass for history."

"Your eyes will probably roll before anyone's head does."

"Even by its own standards, the movie becomes increasingly macabre and ludicrous..."

"A classy romantic cocktail distinguished by its tart yet breezy bite."

"This glossy production plays fast and loose with the facts, abbreviating, altering and excising entire character arcs and plot lines."

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

"There is no doubt that Americans Johannson and Portman make English history attractive and will help broaden this chick flick's audience, but unfortunately next to actresses such as Scott Thomas and Torrent they look like a couple of Hollywood starlets in fancy dress who have wandered on to the wrong set."

"I suspect fans of period dramas will fill cinemas around the country for this film, with the added box office draw card of Scarlett and Natalie, not to mention Eric for the girls. But I must confess the film didn't make me feel much of anything at all really."

"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."

"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."

"The Other Boleyn Girl is one of those movies in which double doors are always booted open, horses with riders clothed in red and gold travel in thundering packs, and pretty girls do flirty over-the-shoulder glances. Men plot affairs of high state, women have lines like, "My children! My children!", duplicity rules, and the audience leave pretty much well satisfied."

"The Other Boleyn Girl is a trite soap opera about a socially ambitious extended family dressed in Tudor clothes. While one Boleyn girl is bedded unwedded, the other is bedded, wedded, bedded some more and beheaded."