Bombshell
4 stars
Director: Jay Roach
Stars: Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie 
Duration: 109 mins
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

One incident (of many) in which Donald Trump’s attitude towards women was laid bare for all to see was during a debate in the run up to the 2016 US Presidential elections. Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly questioned Trump about the many sexist comments he made about women in the past calling them, among other things, “fat pigs” and “slobs.”

Affronted by the idea of a strong woman putting him in his place, Trump’s charming response a day later was that “you could see there was blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever.”

The events in Bombshell begin just as the afore-mentioned incident happens, with prosecutor-turned-nightly-news-host Kelly (Charlize Theron) on the cusp of superstardom, her no-holds barred approach to the news one that electrified audiences of the conservative right. She awaits the fallout from her altercation with Trump from her boss Roger Ailes, the ultra-conservative founder of Fox News, and one of the world’s most powerful media moguls. Yet Ailes seems unperturbed by the incident – “it’s good TV,” he tells her. Plus, he’s always had a soft spot for her.

Meanwhile, as Kelly’s star is rising, that of her colleague, morning show presenter Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) is falling fast. Carlson is soon fired from her job for no apparent reason (although the fury with which Ailes greeted Carlson’s idea of presenting the show one morning sans makeup could be a clue…) Carlson shocks the entire media community by suing Ailes for sexual harassment.

The film comes with a good dose of humour, but the ugliness of the sexual power games played by Ailes and his cronies is darkly and starkly presented

Onlookers expect the might of Ailes to steamroll over Carlson, and yet, as many women come forward with their own stories, Ailes finds himself completely on the defensive.

Bombshell tells the dramatic, real-life, and often horrific story from three different points of view. Theron’s Kelly is our host, recounting in voice-over the life behind the scenes of the most powerful purveyors of the news; Kidman’s Carlson highlights the ugly truth behind the glamour; while Margot Robbie is fictional character Kayla Pospisil, a naïve former weather girl from Florida hoping to make it big – and unaware of the price she would have to pay to do so. 

It is a story that is eons old, one told with equal parts urgency and flair by director Jay Roach who subtly recreates the remarkably toxic environment the women work in.

The film comes with a good dose of humour, but the ugliness of the sexual power games played by Ailes and his cronies is darkly and starkly presented – from unwanted touching, to throwaway lines like “to get ahead you’ve got to give a little…” to the rule that women can only wear (short) skirts, with camera operators ordered to switch to wide shots to get good angles on the anchors’ legs.

At times, the salacious details threaten to overwhelm the narrative, but it is quickly reined in by the superb performances.

It took me a few long minutes to recognise Theron as Kelly. The actor not only takes on a strong physical likeness to the real woman – deep-timbred voice and all – but effortlessly exudes her confidence and charisma; and her eventual confusion when faced with a decision that could bring her career to an abrupt end. Kidman is equally strong as Carlson, the former beauty queen enraged by the unfairness of it all as she takes on a formidable foe; while Robbie fully embodies the wide-eyed innocence of a dreamer whose dreams come crashing  down with nightmarish speed, as embodied in one particularly horrific encounter with Ailes – played with equal parts paternal charm and repulsive sleaze by the towering John Lithgow. 

The protagonists are certainly not perfect. Kelly’s deep admiration for Ailes blinded her to his behaviour for too long, and the evangelical Pospisil is a tad hypocritical about her religious beliefs.

Furthermore, the wealth and privilege that envelopes them all is obvious. Yet this only highlights further their predicaments; proof positive that their positions of power did not offer them any immunity from harassment.

Ultimately, Bombshell underlines the courage of a group of women who finally stood up to right a horrific wrong; sadly one episode of many that stoked the fires that started the #metoo movement.

Also showing

Waves (15): Set against the vibrant landscape of South Florida, and featuring an astonishing ensemble of award-winning actors and breakouts alike, Waves traces the epic emotional journey of a suburban African-American family, led by a well-intentional but domineering father, as they navigate love, forgiveness and coming together in the aftermath of a loss. 

The Gentlemen (18): A British drug lord tries to sell off his highly-profitable empire to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires.

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