Bombshell film review: Kidman, Theron and Robbie shine in this timely #metoo drama
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The co-writer of excoriating financial drama The Big Short serves up another examination of the state of the United States, this time taking aim at the media.
Bombshell centres on the Fox News sexual harassment scandal that erupted just four short years ago – so recently that it seems a little early for an autopsy of this seismic moment in American culture, which led to the resignation of the mastermind behind the right-wing TV station, Roger Ailes (played here by John Lithgow). But Jay Roach’s film delves fearlessly into an issue that doesn’t just implicate the media, but society as a whole: the ugly realities of workplace abuse.
Nicole Kidman sports a fiercely symmetrical bob and a rictus grin as Gretchen Carlson, a fired host who does the unthinkable: files a harassment suit. The Oscar winner isn’t the showiest performer in the film, but offers a fascinating insight into what it takes to be the first to fight back. “I’ve jumped off a cliff” she says as she agonises over the possibility of no other victims coming forward.
But they do, and her co-stars represent the various stages of abuse. Margot Robbie plays Kayla Pospisil, a fictional, idealistic newbie at the station whose right wing dreams are crushed in a horrifying moment when Ailes asks her to give him a “twirl”. The fear etched on her face is harrowing, and it’s scenes like this where the film is at its most powerful. Abuse is not alluded to, it’s shown, both in mental and physical forms. We see reporters forced to choose between what’s right and what’s good for their career, typified in Charlize Theron’s portrayal of Fox News A-lister Megyn Kelly, with the actor made up to look startlingly different.
Kelly’s arc is particularly gripping. A victim of Ailes’ cruelty, she could be the star witness of the allegations, but is genuinely torn between her need for justice and a warped loyalty for the man who made her famous. It’s another showcase from an actor who seems to shine in any genre. The three central performances are complemented by Lithgow, in fine form as Ailes, a self-pitying bully whose intelligence is outweighed by his arrogance.
As a spotlight on harassment, Bombshell is fearless and upfront about its message. Its satire of right wing media is less effective, with allusions to Pospisil’s sexuality and Ailes’ weight more mean spirited than insightful. But these are a distant aside in a film that confronts a very real, and as yet unresolved, problem.