BOMBSHELL – A Review by Cynthia Flores
The first thing you need to know about this film is that it’ll take you a while to realize that Charlize Theron is playing Megyn Kelly. Because she completely disappears in the part. The same can be said for John Lithgow as Rodger Ailes. Bombshell is a revealing look inside the most powerful and controversial media empire of all time, Fox News. Based on the true explosive story of the two famous and popular TV anchors, Gretchen Carlson ( Nicole Kidman) and Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron). How they provided the one-two punch that brought down a powerful boss, Rodger Ailes (John Lithgow). It’s a heroic tale of women fighting back against their own exploitation.
In the film, Kelly was the key figure, coming forward after Carlson’s long-shot lawsuit with her own story about Ailes’s harassment of her ten years earlier. She then rallied women at Fox News to do the same. Her actions, along with Carlson’s lawsuit, helped in the revolt against one of the most formidable figures in television news.
The director, Jay Roach, is known as a producer mostly in films. Still, he shows here in this film that he is an excellent storyteller and can keep the tension going from the first shot. Also, in a movie with such heavy acting hitters in it, the youngest actress steals the show. When Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie), has her own run-in with Ailes and his well-known “Show me how loyal you can be” sexual harassment set up, it’s heartbreaking. She shows the devastation that kind of hateful situation can have on a person’s emotions.
I give Bombshell an A rating because it’s a movie people will be talking about for a while. Also, because it’s so well-acted and starts the conversation going about harassment in the workplace.
Directed by: Jay Roach
Written by: Charles Randolph
Rated R
Selig Rating A
Running Time: 1hr 48min
Drama / Biography
Wide Release: December 20th
Starring: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow
The Selig Rating Scale:
A – Excellent movie, well worth the price.
B – Good movie
C – OK movie
D – No need to rush. Save it for a rainy day.
F – Good that I saw it on the big screen but wish I hadn’t paid for it.
