Official
Australian release date: 16/1/20. Viewed: 5/2/20.
Director:
Jay Roach
Actors: Charlize
Theron, Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman, John Lithgow
Genre:
Drama
Rating: M
‘Bombshell’ is a ‘based on a (recent)
true story’ film, along the lines of ‘The Big Short’ (not too surprising, since
it has the same writer) or ‘Spotlight’. But oddly, it’s from the director of ‘Austin
Powers’, ‘Meet The Parents’ and ‘The Campaign’! Given the subject matter, it’s
not really funny, but is still a gripping story. Megyn Kelly (Theron), Gretchen
Carlson (Kidman) and Kayla Pospisil (Robbie) all work for Fox News in 2016, a
workplace ripe with sexism, discrimination and harassment.
As the saying goes, “the fish rots from the head down” – in this
case, Roger Ailes (Lithgow) is the head of Fox News and is initially accused by
Gretchen for sexual harassment, setting in motion a chain of events which could
go either way, as no other women initially come forward with similar stories. The
scene with Ailes and Kayla is truly disturbing and hard to watch. Credit to Lithgow
for making Ailes an almost-sympathetic character at times and not just an evil caricature.
Robbie’s great as the naïve Kayla, Kidman’s good in her limited scenes, McKinnon
is funny and nuanced as Kayla’s friend and Theron carries the film, especially
as she grapples with what to do with her career on the line.
An exceptional group of supporting actors make it interesting and
fast-paced – Delany as Megyn’s producer, Britton as Ailes’ wife, Janney as the
lawyer, Duplass as Megyn’s husband, Kind as Giuliani, Root as the other lawyer,
McDowell as Rupert Murdoch, and Josh/Ben Lawson as James/Lachlan Murdoch. Certainly
not a ‘fun’ film, but it’s well acted, filmed and put together. Ending could’ve
used a little work, but is arguably still a work in progress even today.
Overall: Solid biopic with great cast.
Gav's Rating: 3.5
stars.
