Bombshell

Bombshell

Starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow

Directed by Jay Roach

The Fox News Channel is best known for representing the conservative viewpoint, and their motto is "Fair and Balanced," although it's easy to disagree with that statement if you've ever watched it, yet the film gives a great definition of this motto through the eyes of newcomer Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie), who wants to be on camera: the network is fair in its coverage of the news during the day, and brings a balance at night with their conservative commentators against the more progressive voices on networks like CNN and MSNBC.  "Bombshell" is by no means fair and balanced, but it does shed light on the inner workings of the network, how the women were objectified, and the ultimate downfall of the network's reigning founder through a string of sexual harassment allegations that brought him down.

The film focuses on the stories of three women - two real, one crafted from accounts of several other women in the network - who came together and took on the behemoth of the network and his sexual harassment charges.  Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) was the original, a woman whose on-screen persona was a nice, Southern girl, but in reality is an ambitious, no-nonsense woman who was the first to accuse Ailes of harassment after she was bumped from the coveted "Fox & Friends" morning show to a dead-space afternoon series of her own, and ultimate firing.

As Carlson's career at the network began to diminish, the rise of Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) began.  The film focuses the most on her story - from the now-infamous Republican debate where she called out Donald Trump on his sexiest comments and eventual "anger menstruating" comments from Trump and the aftermath to her eventual decision to go against her old boss and recounts her own sexual harassment incidents.

Finally there's Kayla, the composite character who comes to Fox News with a strong desire to be on-air, since her whole family is obsessed with the network and she sees it not just as a job, but a calling.  She starts off the film as the wide-eyed conservative Christian youngster, but after an encounter with Ailes, begins to feel differently about what she's doing and the monster behind the curtain.

The film is led by three acclaimed actresses at the top of their respective games, and are absolutely spellbinding to see.  Charlize Theron practically transforms into Megyn Kelly in all aspects - voice, mannerisms, and especially appearance - to where you forget you're seeing Theron performing, and think it's actually Kelly on screen.  It's a feat of makeup design, and Theron once again envelops her role body and soul.  Nicole Kidman nails Gretchen Carlson's likeness as well, portraying the former Miss America as a no-nonsense woman bent on ambition and having the truth be told, despite the consequences.  Margot Robbie has the most unnerving moment in the film when she's being interviewed by Roger Ailes, and offers a very dark, stripped-down performance in his office that's not easily forgotten, and gives Kayla a very humanistic appeal that you can't help but feel pity for.

You can't have heroes without villains, and here Roger Ailes is portrayed as the ultimate villain - a man bent on viewing women as sexual objects (as he often tells the women in the film that the news media is a visual medium, and pretty much forces them to wear short dresses and show off their legs), who thrives on power, and yet seemingly has his own insecurities as well.  John Lithgow absolutely nails the performance as he plays Ailes as a man with many physical imperfections but showcases the darker imperfections underneath, and his prosthetic makeup design (done by Kazu Hiro, who won an Oscar for his work on Gary Oldman in "Darkest Hour") is unparalleled.

It's interesting to see the world of Fox News on the other side, as it portrays the network as a dog-eat-dog environment, where the women are objectified but also seemingly are alright with it as long as it gets them recognition, while also proving that it's a man's world there as well.  The set designs are nearly claustrophobic, and sucks the air out of the room as the women are objectified and are also forced to hide who they really are (one of them is a lesbian with Hillary Clinton posters in her home, and has to hide it out of fear of being fired for either of those network-induced infractions).

The film is directed by Jay Roach, who also delivered the Emmy-award winning movie "Game Change" about Sarah Palin's rise to prominence as John McCain's running-mate, and written by Charles Rudolph, who won an Oscar as a co-writer of the film "The Big Short."  You can clearly see both of these influences in the film, as it opens with a long montage of Megyn Kelly breaking the fourth wall and introducing the viewers to the seedy underbelly of Fox News, along with Gretchen Carlson herself breaking the fourth wall as well.  The film is darkly humorous, until it's not - and that makes the darkness all the more profound, as your guard is down until the events begin to unfold, and you can't look away.  The film shows the power women have against their abusers, and occurs before the fall of one of Hollywood's biggest producers, Harvey Weinstein, by showing the downfall of one of television's most powerful voices.

With three impeccable leading female performances, "Bombshell" gives a darkly humorous look into the world of Fox News and the eventual downfall of its founder Roger Ailes, who sexually harassed his female employees until they took a stand and stood against the establishment.

The Score: A+