Tagline: “In an age when a woman’s destiny was determined by her father, one sister followed the rules, the other defied them.â€
Translation: Woo! Get ready for a sixteenth-century aristocratic cat fight!
The Verdict: As the trailer for this Natalie Portman–Scarlett Johansson vehicle begins, a regal voice announces that “an opportunity has arisen to be mistress of the King of England,†which sets in motion a story line in which the two star as sisters who bitterly compete for the affection of Henry VIII. There’s a little bit of retroactive feminism at the start (“Our daughters are being traded like cattle for advancement of men!â€), but the clip mostly highlights Natalie Portman’s catty smack talk (“Try to please him — if you can!†Oh, snap!), and the resplendent wardrobes of its stars. (Seriously, check out that enormous pimp-quality fur coat on Henry VIII!) It’s all rather bombastic, but despite the fact that this movie looks like a standard period drama, the trailer plays out more like an episode of Tudor England’s Next Top Mistress. —Matthew Perpetua