devilgrrl | The Other Boleyn Girl

We went to see this last night. I loved the book, so I assumed I would at least enjoy the movie. I have a special place in my heart for Tudor/Elizabethan history, so I usually try to see movies about it. Generally speaking, as long as a movie is good and entertains me, I can get over it not being 100% historically accurate. I liked both Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age and, like I said, I loved the book as entertainment.

Holy God, the movie was AWFUL. I was lost half the time, watching it, because the only thing it shared with the book was a couple characters. History, including historically important characters, were just left out. There were plot holes you could drive a 747 through. I spent most of the movie making The Face or trying to catch Steven up on what the hell was going on.

Anne wasn't in France at the beginning of the movie. Henry's fall, the one credited with making her miscarry, was put in the very beginning. The whole movie was depicted as taking place in less than 2 years. Catherine (Carey) Knowles' birth NEVER HAPPENED! There was no mention of William Carey's death from the sweat nor of her burgeoning relationship with Stafford. Anne was sent to France after screwing it up with Henry, not the country nor was Mary ever sent their with the kids. There was no mention of the Mary Boleyn.

They totally glazed over the years Anne spent making Henry, there was only a brief mention of the break with the Catholic Church and that was used as a plot device for Henry to rape Anne. Barely a mention of her coronation. No mention of her adopting Henry Carey. None of Mary's banishment from court because she was pregnant with Stafford's child. They made the whole movie The Anne Show whereas the book was told from Mary Boleyn. They had George die like a coward. They had Mary in the crowd at Anne's death and had Henry sending a note to tell her he double crossed her.

What I liked: there were geese. Jim Sturgess is charming and made the scenes he was in. Some of the costuming was nice. They did get the French style execution right. I had fun playing Spot the Star (several actors from Atonement were in it).

I didn't walk out because I kept hoping that it would get better, but I considered it strongly at the halfway point. This is the second movie I have ever considered that in. I really, truly feel like I wasted my money going to see it. I didn't expect it to be akin to a historical documentary nor did I expect it follow the book exactly, but I at least expected that I would see where it was adapted. It's really bad when I am lost watching a movie about this.

The guy who wrote this also wrote The Queen. I don't know how he managed to do well enough with that to win an Oscar and then sunk to this level, but my guess is he was very, very drunk and watching General Hospital when he wrote it.