MOVIE REVIEW: BOMBSHELL

A revealing look inside the most powerful and controversial media empire of all time and the explosive story of the women who brought down the infamous man who created it.

Director: Jay Roach

Cast: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Kate McKinnon, Connie Britton, Malcolm McDowell, Allison Janney

Release Date: December 13, 2019

Rated R for sexual material and language throughout

Runtime: 1hr 48 min.

Genres: Biography, Drama

Review:

Bombshell’s impact on anyone is sure to be colored by their feeling about the real life people portrayed.  Jay Roach delivers a funny but ultimately depressing tales about the behind the scenes machinations at propaganda machine as known as Fox News.  Roach has the unenviable task of displaying people who are all on varying scales of terrible.  The tale about Roger Ailes numerous misdeeds was previously covered on Showtime’s The Loudest Voice so Bombshell feels a bit like a companion piece since this film focuses more on the woman than Ailes himself.  As such the trio of Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie are front and center and truly carry the film.  Charlize Theron’s Megyn Kelly is one of those transformative performances that is sure to garner her a lot of awards buzz and with good reason.  She’s nearly unrecognizable here, capturing Kelly’s look and voice with an uncanny degree of accuracy.  The performance is such an attention grabber that it’s easy to overlook Nicole Kidman and Margo Robbie slightly more subtle performances.  Kidman’s take on Gretchen Carlson is solid but it’s hard to say it any better than Naomi Watt’s version on The Loudest Voice.  Robbie’s character is a composite character but serves a purpose of putting us in the room with Ailes while he’s harassing and victimizing these women.  John Lithgow’s take on Roger Ailes isn’t as a nuanced as Russell Crowe’s take earlier this year which leads to the bigger issue at play.  Bombshell seems content with going through basics but never really cares to dig any deep or offer any colors of gray.  As such certain characters are painted as heroes which can be difficult to swallow since their real life counterparts are terrible for other reasons. 

B