Rarely has such talent been so ill-used on so little. In The Other Boleyn Girl, the dream pairing of Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson is wasted on a Tudor romp revolving around the sexual appetite of Henry VIII.

Portman plays Anne and Johansson her younger sister, Mary. Both girls are used as babelicious bait by their father, Sir Thomas Boleyn (Mark Rylance), and their uncle, the Duke of Norfolk (David Morrisey), to get up close and intimate with the king (Eric Bana).

It's pimping by any other name, particularly since the queen (Ana Torrent) has yet to produce a male heir.

First, Mary — who's already married — is assigned to his majesty's secret service. When she's bedridden by pregnancy, Henry turns to Anne, fresh from a two-month stint in France where she's apparently honed her temptress skills. Things get complicated when Henry wants to marry Anne but is thwarted by the Catholic Church. This leads to him eventually breaking away to found the Church of England.

A lot of old-world history here but you wouldn't have guessed it from the revolving door of sleeping partners and a story that begins above the knees and ends below the belt.

The main problem, though, is the miscasting. Portman and Johansson, while excellent actresses, are far too contemporary-looking for their roles and their acting is manhandled by a script that portrays them as nothing more than sluts.

And, of course, Bana is more believable as the Hulk than as Henry VIII. - TODAY/ra