The story of The Other Boleyn Girl
The Other Boleyn Girl tells the story of two sisters caught in one of history's most dangerous games. Set in Tudor England, the film follows Mary and Anne Boleyn—daughters of an ambitious aristocratic family willing to sacrifice almost everything for proximity to power. When King Henry VIII takes notice, the sisters find themselves pitted against each other, each vying for his affection and the influence that comes with being the royal favorite. What begins as court intrigue spirals into something far more consequential: a battle that will reshape England's religious and political landscape. The film doesn't shy away from the personal cost of that ambition, even if it takes creative liberties with the historical record.
Behind the making of The Other Boleyn Girl
Director Justin Chadwick brought The Other Boleyn Girl to the screen in 2008, adapting Philippa Gregory's 2001 novel of the same name. Gregory's book drew inspiration from Mary Boleyn, a largely obscure 16th-century figure about whom historical records are sparse, allowing the author considerable imaginative freedom. Chadwick assembled a powerhouse cast: Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson as the Boleyn sisters, Eric Bana as King Henry VIII, and supporting performances from Jim Sturgess, Mark Rylance, Kristin Scott Thomas, and David Morrissey. The film earned a PG-13 rating and ran 115 minutes, striking a balance between prestige drama and mainstream accessibility. While it didn't become a box-office juggernaut—grossing roughly $26.8 million worldwide—the film attracted enough critical attention to garner three award nominations. Critics and award bodies seemed genuinely divided on whether the film's ambitions matched its execution, a tension that defines its reputation today.
Why The Other Boleyn Girl divides viewers and critics
Here's the thing about The Other Boleyn Girl: it's a film that works better in parts than as a whole. The Rotten Tomatoes score of 43% and Metascore of 50 tell you something important—this isn't a film that inspires consensus. What's striking is how the central performances carry the emotional weight even when the script doesn't quite earn it. Portman brings a quiet, almost melancholic dignity to Mary, the "other" Boleyn girl who's often overshadowed, while Johansson's Anne crackles with ambition and edge. Their scenes together crackle with genuine sibling tension, the kind that comes from competing for parental approval as much as royal favor. Eric Bana's Henry VIII, though—and I keep coming back to this—feels like the film's weak link. He's volatile and mercurial, sure, but there's something missing in his performance that would make him the gravitational center the story demands. The supporting cast, particularly Kristin Scott Thomas as the calculating mother and Mark Rylance as the conflicted father, do heavy lifting with limited screen time, but they can't quite anchor the family's moral complexity. What doesn't work is the film's occasional lurch into melodrama, especially in the third act, where historical inevitability starts to feel more like plot convenience than earned tragedy.
The period design and cinematography deserve credit—the film looks sumptuous, all rich fabrics and candlelit chambers—but there's a glossiness that sometimes undercuts the stakes. You're watching beautiful people in beautiful costumes navigate gorgeous palaces, which can feel emotionally distant when the story's supposed to be about desperation and survival. Still, if you're drawn to historical drama and don't mind a film that's occasionally uneven, there's enough here to justify a watch. Movie OTT tracks where this and similar period dramas are streaming, making it easy to catch up on titles you might have missed.
Where to stream The Other Boleyn Girl online
The Other Boleyn Girl is currently available on both Hulu and Netflix, depending on your region and subscription status. Since streaming libraries shift regularly—titles migrate between platforms or disappear entirely—it's worth checking the Where to Watch widget at the top of this page for the most up-to-date availability in your area. If you're already subscribed to either service, you can start watching immediately without renting or purchasing. For those tracking multiple streaming platforms, Movie OTT's aggregation tools help you avoid the frustration of hunting across five different apps to find what you want to watch.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Is The Other Boleyn Girl based on a true story?
The film adapts Philippa Gregory's 2001 novel, which was loosely inspired by Mary Boleyn, a historical figure from 16th-century England about whom very little is actually known. Gregory invented much of the plot, including the sibling rivalry at the film's center, so while it's grounded in real history, it's better understood as historical fiction than biography.
Q: Who directed The Other Boleyn Girl?
Justin Chadwick directed the film, bringing together a cast led by Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, and Eric Bana. Chadwick also directed other period dramas, including The Imitation Game and The Crown.
Q: What's the runtime of The Other Boleyn Girl?
The film runs 115 minutes, making it a fairly standard length for a historical drama. It's long enough to develop character and court intrigue without overstaying its welcome.
Q: What rating is The Other Boleyn Girl?
The film is rated PG-13, meaning parental guidance is suggested for children under 13. There's some violence and mature themes, but nothing that pushes into R-territory.
Q: How did The Other Boleyn Girl perform at the box office?
The film earned approximately $26.8 million worldwide, which is modest by major studio standards. While it didn't become a blockbuster, it found an audience among fans of period drama and historical fiction.
Final thoughts on The Other Boleyn Girl
The Other Boleyn Girl isn't a perfect film, but it's a worthwhile one if you're in the mood for period drama with genuine star power and complicated female characters. Don't expect it to rewrite history—it won't. Do expect two talented actresses giving their all with material that doesn't always deserve them, sumptuous production design, and a story about ambition that, whatever its flaws, reminds you why the Boleyn era still fascinates us five centuries later. It's currently streaming on Hulu and Netflix, so if you've been meaning to catch it, there's no better time.
