"...It's A Visual Medium My Dear..." - Bombshell on BLU RAY
Trump defenders and other history re-writing knob-heads have derided this December 2019 movie because his vicious Presidential campaign that displayed his appalling 'locker-room' attitudes towards women is featured large in "Bombshell" and in a not so warm and fuzzy post Nobel Peace Prize Nominee light.
But I still thought despite a few missteps into convenient naivety on the part of smart women that would know men's lust and the kickbacks they would want for career advancement - "Bombshell" is still a stunning ballsy film about a very awkward subject indeed.
Featuring a truly exceptional cast - especially the three leading ladies - Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie play seemingly successful glamorous women working varying positions in the toxic environment of News TV USA - where the quips are scripted and the tables the babes sit behind are see-through for leggy-rating reasons and not their Feng Shui set aesthetic.
The three Hollywood heavy-hitters are backed up to the hilt by a virtual army of top-drawer support cast placements - Kate McKinnon, Rob Delaney, Liv Hewson, Mark Duplass, Stephen Root, Connie Britton and many more fine actors you will know (award winners galore). And this is before we get to Alison Janney as a lawyer and Malcolm McDowell as a convincing Rupert Murdoch – the Australian media magnate who ultimately owned Fox and the News Of The World rag in the UK.
But more than most starry vehicles like this - "Bombshell" has the conviction of the leading ladies - a belief in the subject matter that seems to emanate from literally every pore of them. Theron is amazing at Megyn Kelly, an out-front Fox gal with a sharp tongue, a questionable past she'd rather forget and a husband in Mark Duplass that supports her no matter what is hitting the fan.
Robbie too defies her extraordinary beauty to actually move you. There is a scene where Margot's character Kayla calls her 'secret friend' on her mobile. Kayla is stood outside a city restaurant at night with a male date abandoned inside wondering what happened to the gorgeous woman he arrived with. From a scene earlier in the movie where Kayla enters Roger Ailes' upper floor office (and you just know as does she that they're not going to discuss baking cookies for the boy scouts) – Kayla is being eaten alive on the inside with guilt. An admired Anchor Woman who isn’t afraid to ask hard-hitting questions (Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson) has had enough and filed a personal lawsuit against her ex boss Roger Ailes for physical and mental harassment. But he of course has been spreading terror in his own sly way and closing down leaks in his staff with ruthless precision. Crying on her mobile, Kayla should speak out – should support her co-workers – should do the right thing – but Robbie's character feels filthy - like oil has been poured over her and she can't shower it off. In a truly moving performance, Robbie makes you feel every second of this woman's disgust and humiliation - because she gave in - in order to get on – Roger’s secret rallying cry to newbees during interviews. Its powerfully told and brilliantly staged and a moment where the hurt becomes palatable and real.
But once again - and after his incredible turns as Churchill in "The Crown" and a lawyer in the brill but overlooked "Perry Mason" - it's John Lithgow who utterly amazes as the repulsive and reptilian Roger Ailes - top dog at the biggest and most influential media outlet in the USA – FOX NEWS. A vehicle of supposed truthful public information that has the ear of Presidents and powerful lobby groups, head honcho Lithgow is like a squat toad licking his lips as his prey wanders into his office only to be told to do a twirl because TV is a '...visual medium, my dear...'
All through the film – Ailes rants – he raves – he demands – he spouts bile. His arrogance knows no bounds and is accompanied with an incrimination-repulsing charade of being Mr. Helpful and Mr. Nice Guy to his staff. Rumours have abounded in quiet rest room conversations, but no one has ever had proof or dared take on the tyrant. Lithgow is amazing throughout all of these permeations. But then he gives you more. Just like the media snakes Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein (whose similar abuse and shadows loom in the background) - there is Roger Ailes agog - his absolute incredulity at being caught – not displaying the tiniest bit of empathy or sorrow for the misery and degradation he's caused so many women trying to legitimately get on in a male-dominated world. It takes big acting chops to fill these fat and loathsome shoes and Lithgow is simply priceless in the role – nailing the boundless narcissism of the man to a point where he might actually make your skin crawl. Oscar nominations ahoy methinks...and not just for him...
"Bombshell" could have been a preach-fest too or a 'who looks best in a short skirt' pervy flick (and at times it has to be both to show the culture at Fox – many of the women are wearing pants by the end of the movie when the story breaks). But the writing from Charles Randolph (he did "The Big Short") and the direction from Jay Roach are smart enough to not go down that road except to illuminate. Combine this with a cast that knows they are working on genuinely important material and you really do 'feel' the women's bravery and their fear in the face of such life-destroying power. The picture quality on the BLU RAY is gorgeous too and the extras very illuminating.
"Bombshell" is not perfect for sure, but I still thought this movie the bomb (if you'll forgive the obvious pun) – brave, timely and so horribly necessary. Well done to everyone involved...
