We are back at it again this week with the Margot Robbie filmography watch through! This week is a departure from Margot pulling double-duty in narrating and voicing a little rabbit. In fact, this time around it’s a lot heavier as we look at a movie based on actual events with…Bombshell (2019).
Title: Bombshell
Director: Jay Roach
Released: December 13, 2019
Runtime: 1 hour 49 minutes
Available to stream on: MGM+
Whether it’s the right-wing brainwashing of your parents and grandparents or the horrific work environment they foster, Fox News is an inherently evil entity, no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
Bombshell (2019) takes a look at two instances specifically, Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) and Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron).
Gretchen Carlson bravely exposes years of sexual harassment by FOX CEO Roger Ailes (John Lithgow), ready to expose him as the predator he is. In doing so, however, she ultimately loses her job.
Meanwhile, Megyn Kelly decides to press presidential nominee Donald Trump on his sexist attitude towards women. In doing so, Megyn winds up receiving a barrage of abuse via social media, ironically proving her point on Trump’s sexism.
Margot Robbie plays a character who isn’t based on a singular person. Rather, the role of Kayla Pospisil is said to be a combination of different women’s stories of abuse. Kayla is a representation of all the other women to have suffered under the watchful eye of Roger Ailes.
This was my second viewing of Bombshell (2019) and I remember thinking that it was an alright movie. On a rewatch, I still feel the same. It is an aggressively okay movie that, honestly, deserved more capable direction.
That’s not a total knock on Jay Roach. When it comes to comedic films, Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, and Austin Powers trilogy were smash hits. But was he the best available option to direct here?
Yes, he is able to point out the toxicity in working at Fox News, although, things fall a little short. We’re made aware of the toxicity in the newsroom but that’s sort of swept under the rug with the focus remaining on Ailes. This is a multi-faceted story that does its best to remain single-faceted. In doing so, the story as a whole winds up feeling a little incomplete, offering up more questions than answers.
Now that’s not to say that there wasn’t anything enjoyable about Bombshell (2019). For instance, the casting and hair/make-up was fantastic. Charlize Theron looks like the spitting-image of Megyn Kelly. Additionally, everyone in a primary role played their part exceptionally well. Unfortunately, being led by not incapable but ill-suited hands sort of prevented everything about Bombshell (2019) from being the hard-hitting and memorable film that it could have been.
Well, what say you? Have you seen Bombshell (2019)?
If so, leave a comment below or reach out on Bluesky and tell me what you thought of it!
As always, you can find me over on Letterboxd to see what else I’ve been watching lately.