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doomonfilm · 5 years

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Review : Bombshell (2019)

During college, I studied Radio and TV news, and if there was one thing I learned, it was that nothing gets in front of the bottom line... ethics, morals and good judgement somehow seem to vanish in the realm of the newsroom. This is why it did not surprise me when, in the world of the 24 hour news cycle, the news became the news when Fox CEO Roger Ailes found himself accused of several instances of sexual harassment. Jay Roach and company decided that this topic was not only timely, but ripe for dark humor, hence the production and release of Bombshell.

In the run-up to the Donald Trump presidency, three women working for Fox News find themselves in three very different positions in their career. Megyn Kelly is an anchorwoman covering hard news while trying to avoid becoming the news after her hard line of questioning to Trump during the Presidential debate landed her in his Twitter crosshairs. Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) is a former anchorwoman rapidly falling down the ladder, finding herself transitioned to an afternoon opinion show before being unceremoniously fired. Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie) is a former intern for Carlson looking for an opportunity to become an anchorwoman, and making the moves towards her goal after transitioning to a job on the O’Reilly Factor. All three women, however, share a common trait : their victim status via sexual objectification, coercion and blackmail from Fox News founder Roger Ailes (John Lithgow). Carlson, who already had plans to sue Ailes directly rather than Fox News in regards to her assault, moves forward with her lawsuit after her firing, and the wheels begin to turn as the search for victims willing to speak out against Ailes gains traction.

For a film covering the self-identified bastion of ‘fair and balanced’ news that is Fox, the film itself is unfortunately fairly unbalanced. It is entertaining, which is a plus, but the lofty and heavy topic is slightly undercut by the comedic approach that director Jay Roach has made his trademark. Heavy accusations and salacious behavior are propped up beside fourth wall breaks, shakeycam cinematography and visual parlour tricks. The schizophrenic tone of the film is further bolstered by a list of identifications for real world titans of the news industry, giving the film a slightly mockumentary, heavily expose’ feel. Even the disclaimer at the beginning of the film sets a serious tone, which is directly followed by a sitcom-esque expositional introduction by Charlize Theron’s Megyn Kelly portrayal, using the aforementioned fourth wall approach no less.

That being said, the style points taken away from the film have a minor effect on the tension caused by the topics at hand. Ailes is not only positioned as an opportunistic man that objectified large numbers of women in the name of the ‘visual medium’, but also as a paranoia-fueled power monger quick to flex said power to show everyone who’s boss, even if the Murdoch family that resides higher than him in the hierarchy does not support him or his power-hungry actions. His hopes of influencing the masses rather than informing them are also brought to light, with his history of placing Presidents in the White House prior to founding Fox News becoming an ironic parallel to his forcing out of the corporation due to his immoral actions while Trump and his immoral actions ascend to the White House. The old school way of fighting litigations and accusations with spin and intimidation is used to fuel the narrative, adding to the present tension and propelling the story forward as accuser after accuser straddles the line of coming forward and damaging their lives and careers, or remaining silent, which gives the audience insight on the human cost of Ailes’s actions.

As mentioned before, the cinematography can be a bit distracting at times, with the camera constantly zooming in and out, light uses of soft rack focus, and visual tricks like fourth wall breaks and kyrons used for humor. Roach does manage to keep the numerous storylines balanced and coherent, helping the viewer navigate the numerous characters and points of view presented. The makeup and hairstyling of Charlize Theron and the weight gain of John Lithgow make both of them nearly unrecognizable, and nearly every actor and actress in the film looks so much like their real life counterparts that they are easily identifiable prior to being given naming subtitles. The casting agent on this film deserves at least a bonus, if not an award, because this film contains one of the most stacked casts I’ve ever seen.

Fans of ensemble casts are in for a treat, as Theron, Kidman and Robbie all step confidently into their starring roles, more than succeeding in their portrayals of their famous counterparts. Lithgow locks into his calm and calculated manner, while simultaneously giving his creepy undertones occasional moments in the spotlight, much to the chagrin of his victims. Mark Duplass stands out in one of the few non-news based roles, bringing equal parts charm and hard truth to the table. Kate McKinnon turns in a strong dramatic performance while still managing to let her trademark natural humor shine. Allison Janney brings a hard nosed edge to bounce against Lithgow, making her quite believable as a no-nonsense lawyer with absolutely no levels of intimidation found in her dealings with the Ailes character. Performances by Connie Britton, Rob Delany, Liv Hewson, Bridgette Lundy-Paine and a handful more help drive the narrative forward, while appearances by Malcom McDowell, Nazanin Boniadi, P.J. Byrne, Kevin Dorff, Alice Eve, Spencer Garrett, Ashley Greene, Marc Evan Jackson, Brian d’Arcy James, Richard Kind, Tony Plana, Stephen Root and many more as newspeople, lawyers and politicians keep things exciting for the viewer.

Possibly due to my own expectations combined with my former experience in the world of news, I think I was imagining something different than what I was presented. While not necessarily a bad film, it does (in my opinion) fall short of what it really and truly could have been : a proper reflection on some of the successes that occurred during the uplifting-turned-controversial Me Too movement. Ultimately, I recommend going to see the film and making up your own mind, but as the fourth film I’ve seen in a little over a week, it does fall short in comparison to it’s recently released peers.

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