Scarlett Johansson

In 2008, she starred in The Other Boleyn Girl, opposite Natalie Portman and Eric Bana, a film which garnered mixed reviews. Writing for Rolling Stone, Pete Travers criticized the film for "moving in frustrating herks and jerks", but was more positive in his assessment of Johansson and Portman, and wrote, "What works is the combustible teaming of Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, who give the Boleyn hotties a tough core of intelligence and wit, swinging the film's sixteenth-century protofeminist issues handily into this one." Variety credited the cast as "almost flawless ... at the top of its game", citing "Johansson’s quieter Mary ... as the pic’s emotional center, her tender love story with the conflicted monarch evoking the only genuine feelings on display."
She filmed her third Woody Allen film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, in Spain, appearing opposite Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz. The film was one of Allen's most profitable and appeared on many critics' top ten lists of the best films of 2008. Overall, the film received generally favorable reviews and brought co-star Cruz numerous awards, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Johansson was described as being "open and malleable" and "serves as a nice contrast to the other actors".
Johansson played Silken Floss, a femme fatale and ally of Samuel L. Jackson's villain The Octopus, in Frank Miller's film noir, comedy adaptation of The Spirit. The film, described as "a great-looking movie with an awkward balance of pulp noir and campy self-awareness" and "style without substance, style whirling in a senseless void", received mostly poor reviews.
Johansson appeared in the role of Anna, a yoga instructor, in the 2009 ensemble cast of He's Just Not That Into You, with Jennifer Connelly, Bradley Cooper, Drew Barrymore and Kevin Connolly. The film was a box office success but only gained average critical reception. The San Francisco Chronicle review notes, "The film never soars, but it never flags" yet lauds Johansson, saying, "She has become a deft comic actress." The Los Angeles Times calls the film an "anti-romantic romantic comedy" and cites the scenario in which Johansson appears with Jennifer Connelly and Bradley Cooper as having "more meat than others", making it "one of the best." The Baltimore Sun criticized the film, saying, "It stumbles somewhat when it tries to get serious", but praised Johansson for "proving she doesn't need Woody Allen to be funny."