Bombshell Movie Review

Bobmshell (2019)

Rent Bombshell on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Charles Randolph
Directed by: Jay Roach
Starring: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Allison Janney, Malcolm McDowell, Kate McKinnon, Connie Britton, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Mark Duplass, Stephen Root, Richard Kind, Marc Evan Jackson, Jennifer Morrison, Alice Eve, Tricia Helfer
Rated: R
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Plot
A group of women take on Fox News head Roger Ailes and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network.

Verdict
There's an interesting story here, and maybe the problem is that the story is too big for one movie. This utilizes a fictional character to tie together the true events because this bounces around a lot between the characters. Picking one main character would help give this a foundation. Instead the movie tries to cover a lot in a short amount of time without doing the story justice.
Skip it.

Review
The Loudest Voice is an apt comparison. It covered Fox News founder Roger Ailes in a limited series, taking more time in establishing that character. In the series, we know Ailes is bad from the beginning and it just gets worse as Ailes gains more power. He is the focus as we see the havoc he wreaks on people's lives. The series also did a great job of delving into the ideology of Fox News. It's a great series.

Having seen The Loudest Voice, I knew a lot of background that this movie didn't cover. This opens with a fourth wall breaking moment like in I Tonya, which also stars Margot Robbie. That concept didn't seem to fit the subject matter, but I was curious how that would be used. It only happens in the first scene which seems like a gimmick.

Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie play Megyn Kelly, Gretchen Carlson, Kayla.

Charlize Theron undergoes an impressive transformation to look like real life anchor Megyn Kelly. She's one of the main characters, as is anchor Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) whose role is to kick the plot along when she sues Roger Ailes. We don't see much of Carlson after the lawsuit. Kayla (Margot Robbie) is the other main character. She's a composite of various real individuals. Kayla believes in Fox News and discovers the harassment first hand as she attempts to ascend the corporate ladder. The plot bounces around between the three and Roger Ailes.

The breaking of the fourth wall set a weird tone. That kind of levity isn't found in the rest of the movie other than when Kate McKinnon's character and Kayla chat. McKinnon's lines sound like parody as she critiques Fox News. It goes over Kayla's head as she trusts Fox News completely at that point. It's a strange relationship in the middle of this movie, and maybe their conversation speaks to the cognitive dissonance you need to work at Fox News, but it feels like a scene from another movie.

Margot Robbie.

It's never quite clear what this movie wants to say. Kayla and Megyn have a pointed conversation, and while having seen The Loudest Voice dulls the impact, does this want to point out how bad Ailes is, show the damage left in his wake, show the harassment Kayla faces, or show what it takes to succeed and how precarious success is with Megyn and Gretchen?

There are too many characters and the movie doesn't use them effectively. We don't get a complete story for any of them. Kayla seems to be there to connect the disparate pieces. Ailes is eventually removed, but the management that actively harassed women and allowed that culture remains in place which means nothing will change.

I wanted to like this more than I did. It sets you up for something informative and comedic like The Big Short or Vice. It's neither of those, but the first scene created false expectations.