Portman and Johansson: Girls Fighting for Love

Anne Boleyn. Henry VIII. Mary Boleyn. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen, but it's not. It's actually the key players of The Other Boleyn Girl that is chock full of love, sex, politics, and sibling rivalry.

A lot is known about Anne Boleyn and her relationship with Henry VIII, but the same can not be said about Mary. Not much is truly known about Mary Boleyn, except for the fact that she is Anne's sister and the former mistress of Henry VIII. In Philippa Gregory's novel of the same name, Mary is featured prominently as a young woman submerged in a family political chess game with her being the King's prize. At first she resists playing her part, but she soon submits to it once she sees the benefits of being the King of England's mistress.

The other aspect that the book and film both focus on is the complex relationship between sisters Mary and Anne. One minute they are supporting each other's happiness, and the next they are cursing each other's existence. The film starts off Anne (Natalie Portman) getting her younger sister Mary (Scarlett Johansson) ready for her wedding day. She tries to advise Mary, but is soon focused on her own ascension in society. Her family's plans for Anne to be Henry VIII's (Eric Bana) mistress goes awry due to Anne's need to compete in a sporting event. Enter Mary who soon becomes his mistress and mother to an illegitimate son. Re-enter Anne after an exile in France ready to take her place, and that she does in record time. Unlike Mary, Anne wants to be more than a mistress. She wants to be queen, but her family wonders what her latest maneuver will cost them. What they don't know is that they will lose everything in order to make Anne queen and keep her on the throne. The film profiles Anne's rapid rise to the throne, and her untimely demise.