Director - Jay Roach
Cast - Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman, John Lithgow
Genre - Docu-drama
Streaming On - Apple TV
"Do you know why we dress soldiers the same? So everybody knows they are replaceable"
Bombshell is an American drama cum documentary film directed by Jay Roach. It is based on the true story of three accomplished, ambitious and strong women who anchored one of America's most powerful news networks; Fox News. The world around them changes when they themselves become headlines as they risk everything they have acheived, to stand against the man who made them famous. Bombshell is a divulging look inside the most powerful, scandalous and controversial media empire of all time and the intense story of the women who brought down the infamous man who created it.
Bombshell is a scalding and powerful movie about what selling stories, in America, has become. The movie throws light on the showbiz world in an explicit, pure and unadulterated way, it shows the influence of political parties on these media houses and their own internal politics and rivalries to be the anchors of prime time shows. Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie and Nicole Kidman deliver their strong roles in perfect style. The movie highlights the stuggle of the modern women in the showbiz world but doesn`t shy away from showing the double faced nature of both men and women in these huge media houses who are ready to let go of morals and ignore what is wrong around them just to secure their place in this scandalous world. With a strong script, powerful quotes and the stunning delivery of this real story as a drama, its a must watch for all women around the world! Its an ode to the women who watched the most powerful man in TV go after them with all he’s got! John Lithgow deserves a special mention in this film as he delivers the role of Roger Ailes in a way, that you can feel his crude nature creep upto you and thus the film delivers as a whole unit.
Bombshell loses out on two major points; Its intricate story is showcased in a chaotic way and people are left to join the dots themselves and the second point being, its failure to grab the viewers` undivided attention. The thrill that the story itself creates is not amplified by the use of background music or any other such directional techniques that could grab the viewers` attention. While on the acting and script scale the movie is extraordinary but the direction seems just above average. But overall what it loses out on its thrill, it covers up with exceptional makeup, costume design and cinematography! The real and reel Megyn Kelly were hard to differenciate from and that speaks volumes about the casting and makeup of Bombshell.
JRating: 8.5/10
JRev: Story of the women who brought down the most powerful man in TV. A must watch!
Fact Check -
To check out what the movie got right, check out this article from TIME.