Once again, I have been shown that even the most mediocre and overplayed stories can be completely revitalized by its performances. Jay Roach's Bombshell is not typically the kind of film that would interest me but with the absolutely stacked talent of Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie, and Nicole Kidman, it was very difficult to ignore. One of the main reasons for my skepticism is my recency bias and the fact that I do not usually enjoy films that try to tackle such a sensitive subject in such a short amount of time, especially being written and directed by men. As important as this subject matter is, all films that capitalize on a recent event seem to be a political cash grab for me and for those reasons, I was turned off by this film. However, I am so glad that I was able to find a lot to enjoy about this, including the scene-stealing performances, creative cinematography, and decently witty satire regarding the horrible harassment that went on at Fox News. I am not huge on the way that this story was told but can appreciate the various elements that these performers brought to the table.
Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), lead hosts of one of the most popular Fox News shows, comes under fire after joining Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) in accusing former Fox Media CEO Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) of sexual harassment in one of the most controversial scandals of 2016. As the two of them fight to maintain their careers while taking down one of the most powerful men in media, Fox newcomer Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie) tries to jumpstart her career on television but quickly realizes the toxicity and dangers of the network that she is attempting to break into. As much as I prefer to avoid combining direct politics with film, this movie does not shy away from that at all. Subtlety is something that can be used in such a creative manner to tell the audience what the filmmakers want to tell, but Bombshell ditches that strategy in favor of direct reflection. This movie is not afraid to address its viewers with the terrifying reality that many women in the workplace face every day and I do think that director Jay Roach took a solid approach in telling these women's stories and what they went through. I do not think, however, that much justice was made for Kelly or Carlson in the resolution of this film that would make the audience feel any better or worse for them. One of my biggest criticisms is also that this film takes a major news event from the past few years and seems to utilize it to squeeze out some fantastic performances from its cast and direction from Roach. It succeeded in doing so but I could not help but feel during the entire duration that I was reliving key events leading up to the 2016 election through archival Fox news footage. These creative choices definitely help to cement this movie in our modern reality and make the audience remember how recent these disgusting events happened but this entire narrative just felt unnecessary.
Lots of points of authenticity are also a bit of an issue plaguing this film, due to Megyn Kelly herself not agreeing with some of its substance and Robbie's character Kayla being fictional. I can see why people would be upset with this take on a story that occurred in the conservative world, but as someone interested in film, it makes sense to me why they would need a fictional character to tie this narrative's message together in an easy-to-understand way. There are multiple points throughout this film, including at the beginning and a few minor nods in the end, in which the characters directly look into the screen and break the fourth wall. I appreciate what Roach was trying to do with these decisions, as he wants the people (especially women) watching Bombshell to stand up for themselves and fight back against inequality and toxic work environments. However, I could not get past the awkwardness of the direct attention given to the audience. Breaking the fourth wall personally never works for me unless it is done in a completely goofy, comedy setting where it is more appropriate and it did not work that well for me in this film. I did enjoy Kelly, Carlson, and Pospisil's narration throughout the film of what they were experiencing but I find films to be far more effective when they leave it up to the viewer to form their own thoughts. The fourth wall breaking would have worked a bit better for me if it had gone on throughout the entire film but since this movie is not necessarily a comedy, I did not see any point to it. I can obviously tell that it was included because of screenwriter Charles Randolph's experience with director Adam McKay but I just wish that Roach would not have tried so hard to mimic McKay's style.
It may sound like I disagree with practically this entire film's purpose but I actually did enjoy this story a lot more than I had anticipated. I was not too into politics a few years back when this scandal was taking place, so to hear the story now from the perspective of the women involved is undoubtedly compelling. And even though I did not particularly enjoy some of Roach's choices, I respect his way of directing Bombshell with ferocity and unrelenting passion. Regarding the story, I loved how it characterized Kelly, Carlson, and Pospisil as conservatives who were more concerned with their rights as women than their party. Politics obviously play a massive part in this film but even though the women accusing Ailes still held conservative beliefs, this film focuses primarily on their fight for their rights to be treated with respect in their workplace. The main aspect of this film that absolutely carried it all were the performances from the three leads. Theron, Kidman, and Robbie are all unbelievably amazing in their roles and they flawlessly embodied these people. Theron and Kidman are almost unrecognizable with their makeup and prosthetics but even with them, they are able to carry out a scene with emotion better than most other artists I have ever seen. Robbie is also especially strong in this film. She is the only one involved that had the opportunity to play a fictional victim of Roger Ailes and her embodiment of the dozens of harassed women is so powerful. Her arc throughout this movie is fantastic to see and Robbie is only growing stronger when it comes to her talents and prowess as an actress. No matter your stance on this film's issue or the politics involved, one undeniable thing is how we will be seeing these three leads' names come into light when nominations are soon announced and they will all be happily well-deserved.
Despite my not being completely won over by some of the creative choices, Bombshell is an interesting look at the sexual harassment scandal that happened in the terrible halls of Fox News a few years back. There is no doubt that Theron, Robbie, and Kidman absolutely carry this entire film and while I have never been a fan of Adam McKay-style filmmaking, this movie had a decent amount of heart and good intention to put its message across.
My Rating: ★★★
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