Anthony's Film Review - Bombshell (2019)

This film presents an interesting dramatic portrayal of the sexual harassment that went on at Fox News...

Love it or hate it, Fox News is a major player in the world of cable news. The channel launched in 1996 as a new medium for the conservative voices of America, providing straight news as well as right-leaning political commentary. Its emergence was ground-shaking, by raising discussions about bias in the news media and providing real competition for traditional news media outlets. As successful as it was, there have also been controversies stemming from its reporting, as well as ongoing questions about whether Fox News has had a positive or negative impact on American media and society. Then there's the issue of sexual harassment that went on behind the scenes at the network, which is the subject of the 2019 drama film Bombshell.

I shall begin my review by addressing two potential concerns with this movie.

First, how much of the story told in Bombshell is accurate? Well, let's remember one thing. There is no such thing as a Hollywood film based on a true story that is really 100% accurate. Any time you see the phrase "based on a true story," "based on actual events," or the like, always remember the first two words: "based on." That means there is creative freedom to streamline a story and add dramatic effect. This movie is no exception. Basically, don't spend time nitpicking about which details are true and which ones are not. Just go with it, knowing that the key facts are present, one can still get a good idea of what really happened, and anything else is just whatever Hollywood wants to throw in.

Second, is this movie politically offensive? Well, I will definitely give this movie credit for not doing that. Yes, there are moments where conservatively-minded individuals are expressing their dislike and distaste of the liberal half of the political spectrum, and there are scenes illustrating how the culture of Fox News is focused on broadcasting conservative talking points rather than functioning as an objective news agency. But all of that is a fairly minor feature of this movie. The result is that it feels a lot less political than you may expect. So I like to think that conservatives, Republicans, and Fox News fans won't really complain about this movie making them look bad, and that liberals, Democrats, and Fox News critics won't be so put-off by this movie that they won't bother to check it out.

With that aside, now I can turn my attention to the focus of Bombshell.

The film's title is rather interesting, because it refers to both the explosive revelation of sexual harassment at Fox News and a slang term that men use to describe very attractive women. Speaking of which, there are three women who are front and center here. Megyn Kelly (played by Charlize Theron) is a Fox News anchor who has intense concerns about misogyny in light of comments about women made by presidential candidate Donald Trump, including an insult of her related to menstruation. As we will see later, she had been a victim of workplace sexual harassment herself. Gretchen Carlson (played by Nicole Kidman) is a Fox News anchor who eventually loses her job with the network, and she is convinced that it is related to sexual favors that she refused to give in to. Finally, there's Kayla Pospisil (played by Margot Robbie). She is actually a fictional character who is essentially a composite of multiple other women at Fox News experiencing sexual harassment. In this film, Kayla is a Fox News staffer who has strong ambitions to be on camera and isn't afraid to seize any opportunity, like a chance to work with Bill O'Reilly of The O'Reilly Factor.

Each of these women experience sexual harassment from one man: Fox News CEO Roger Ailes (played by John Lithgow). This is a man who takes pride in making this cable news channel the success it is. He certainly sees himself as a valuable asset to Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox News and other conservative news outlets worldwide. At the same time, Ailes is a tough boss when it comes to what Fox News puts on the air. If the network makes a mistake with something or is not sending out the message Ailes wants, he will express his displeasure with brutal honesty. Then there's his belief that cable news is a visual medium and that the women on Fox News must look great for the viewer. In the film's most unsettling depiction of sexual harassment, Ailes asks Kayla during a private meeting to pull up the bottom of her dress to expose much of her thighs, as a test to see how willing she is to show some skin on camera.

The film periodically goes from one of the three plotlines to the next to tell each of the stories. Then, late in the film, they essentially merge into one, when the bombshell revelation of Roger Ailes and sexual harassment goes public. Along the way, there are plenty of interesting moments showing that supposedly goes on at the offices of Fox News. For example, Kayla befriends a Fox News staffer, played by Kate McKinnon, who is secretly a supporter of Hillary Clinton and who urges Kayla not to divulge anything this scandalous to Fox News executives. Then there's the multitude of other real-life Fox News personalities who are portrayed by actors in this film, including Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, Jeanine Pirro, Chris Wallace, Neil Cavuto, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Bret Baier, and Greta Van Susteren. And believe it or not, this film also features an actor portraying Rudolph Giuliani. Even if you don't recognize them at first, don't worry. The movie provides on-screen captions identifying who's who.

As long as I'm talking about Fox News personality portrayals, let me comment on the cast performances here. Overall, they're pretty good. I especially love Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly and Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson. Thanks to great work by the costume and makeup team, as well as the actresses' performances, you really don't see the faces of Theron and Kidman. You see the faces of Kelly and Carlson, both appearing strikingly similar to Kelly and Carlson in real life. Then there's John Lithgow as Roger Ailes. Even though you can tell it's John Lithgow in makeup that transforms him into an obese old man, his performance as a prideful but also bitter man definitely sticks.

Bombshell could easily be a flat, dull, or wildly exaggerated portrayal of Fox news. But it's not. The film manages to keep the story engaging and do so without forcing politics down our throats. It simply presents the Fox News workplace culture as many people understand it. And by not overdoing that part of the movie, we can follow the main characters like they are real people, regardless of how similar or different their political views are from ours. While this movie might not be a bombshell in box office revenue (it was released the same day as Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker!), it's a decent film for anyone interested in the world of cable news and/or the issue of sexual harassment. If anything, it reminds us to respect women. Not just any women. ALL women.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Bombshell, visit the Internet Movie Database.