Director: Jay Roach
Distributor: Belga Home Video
Duration: 109 minutes
Bombshell (DVD) – Movie Review
With the recent Harvey Weinstein case in the media, sexual harassment in the entertainment industry has never been this well-covered. The sheer amount of women who came forward against this big-time producer was simply shocking. The case went on for a while, and luckily Weinstein did get convicted, even if some may debate his punishment came way too late, or it was far too little. Nonetheless, this topic probably inspired the following movie, Bombshell, which revolves around the women at Fox News, who were harassed to give sexual favors to CEO Roger Ailes, in order to keep their jobs, or get a job they applied for.
The story in Bombshell is actually a very simple one, albeit while touching a very serious topic. We are taken back several years in the past in this story that’s based on true events. We get to learn about the anchors and female employees of Fox News, who are hired to be part of a ‘visual media’, and thus have to look good, especially those who want to get some screen time. The person that decides how high you rise on the corporate ladder is Roger Ailes (John Lithgow), who is the current CEO of the company.
We then get to see the experience of different employees of the company, such as Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), who is a very successful face on the channel, but also Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman), who is slowly fading like a candle in the wind. Last but not least, there’s the very young and eager newcomer Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie), who really wants to appear on TV. All of them get to experience the sexual advances of Roger Ailes.
The flow is fairly slow, but this is because the movie bases itself on a specific moment in time, namely during the time Trump was running for president. The different employees of the company, tell different tales, where one wants to take Roger down, the other is also conflicted, but also loves her career, while the youngest of the bunch simply wants to rise to fame. Sadly, all of them are somewhat broken because of what they had to do to get where they are.
Acting performances in Bombshell are quite outstanding. The female leads are played by Margot Robbie, Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman. The three leading ladies represent three different age groups, one who had gone through the experience and refused, only to drop down the corporate ladder, one who’s story isn’t really on par with her rise in the corporation, and a new and fresh face in the company, who was subjected to sexual harassment to have a chance at having a better career. The movie’s villain is played by John Lithgow, who does a phenomenal job at portraying the man who pulls all the strings and who has the power to entice women into doing things they don’t want, simply out of fear. Other supporting roles have also been very well executed, making this a very qualitative piece of work.
While in the menu of this DVD it feels as if there are hardly any special features, as it only shows the option of watching a trailer and the making of. When opening the latter, you’ll see many different extras, which are all around ten to fifteen minutes in length, properly showing how this movie was made, how the strong female leads carried this picture, and simply what it is based on. If the movie proved to be interesting, then these features will certainly prolong your Bombshell experience.
Conclusion
Bombshell isn’t the most conventional piece of cinema, and it’s not really a joyous story. Fox News may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the struggle these women went through is certainly something everyone who wants equality can relate to. The movie is an impressive piece of cinema, but will probably only cater to a niche audience, and it only shows a short run of the events that went on for years in the company. We can advise you to watch this movie, if the subject is something you wish to learn more about.
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