Bombshell (dir. Jay Roach), 2019

The disappointment I felt after a first viewing of Bombshell was high. I had gone in hearing mixed reviews: some panned the narrative and choice of protagonist while others had found it provided an accurate anti-hero and victim to drive the vehicle. After that initial viewing I was part of the former, but after a second viewing I find myself more in the latter, though perhaps a hair away from actually crossing that line.

The same narrative structure I found jarring and try-hard on my first viewing, suddenly was a smart way to drive forward the story upon a second watch. The film opens with Megyn Kelly guiding the viewer through the halls of Fox News, describing the culture and geography of the building that houses conservative America seemed forced. Perhaps I had partially resenting having Kelly speaking directly to me in that same-kind of forced narration that attempts dry humor. Of the three primary characters, two occasionally break the wall: Kelly and Gretchen Carlson. All three primary characters, the third being fictional component character Kayla Pospisil, provide narration off-and-on for the film. The film itself follows Fox News through the eyes of each woman between summer of 2015, when Kelly infamously moderates a republican primary debate, and summer of 2016, when Roger Ailes is forced to resign his post at Fox News.

The pacing of Bombshell is one of the films assets and within the first ten minutes all stories are in motion. Perhaps it is a bit predictable, the first few minutes light tapping at a domino where everything falls in succession, but the format does not make the film any less entertaining. Actually, the use of fictional Pospisil (and the strength of Margot Robbie’s characterization and performance) add the narrative necessary to make the film feel a bit fresher. While Kelly eventually emerges as the hero of the story, we still watch as her “I’m not a feminist but I do protect women” mantra unravels to expose she is nothing more than an opportunist: her spar with Trump merely was for her career and ratings; she only wanted other women to come forward to protect herself; so, in other words her motives the entire film appeared strategic. Pospisil at one moment accuses her of staying silent, allowing abuse to continue to other young women, to which Kelly smugly reminds her that it was the only way she got her primetime show. So, any view of Kelly being a hero in this film is pure fiction. I don’t doubt Kelly thinks highly of her portrayal, but she also is someone who has no depth or ability to see beneath a surface. She sees herself on screen rallying for women, not her motives bubbling at the surface. Kelly sees opportunities at other networks and a common point of this film is that life after Fox News is not easy, if at all possible.

I warmed toward Charlize Theron’s performance on the second viewing. While it is a shame the Academy finally recognizes her incredible decade with this portrayal of Megyn Kelly, rather than Mavis Gary in Young Adult, she does successfully carry the film and provide the audience with a conflicted protagonist and anti-hero. All respect to Theron, and even Nicole Kidman (who does an acceptable job portraying Gretchen Carlson in a less-impressive role), Margot Robbie does incredible work as Kayla Pospisil, the fictional character meant to portray the stories of a few different Fox staffers. Robbie is the shining light of this film and it is a shame such a strong performance has become clouded in the mixed reviews and tepid box office which accompanies Bombshell. A lot of criticism over the impending Best Supporting Actress nominations for the Academy ended with the following question: do we need to nominate Margot Robbie for Bombshell? The answer is absolutely. Had the film been better received and Robbie not be up against a career Oscar (for what possibly is career-worst performance) for Laura Dern, she realistically could be the category front-runner (especially after a certain snub when nominations were announced).

My advice is to watch Bombshell from the comfort of your own home. It is worth the watch and an enjoyable way to spend a little under two hours. You won’t leave the film any more enlightened, but I think the film itself understands that. The air of pretention that often emits from an Adam McKay film (such as Vice, which truly thought it did something special), surprisingly is soft in Bombshell after all the comparisons. There even is a moment or two of greatness, such as the elevator scene, and had those moments been more than just moments, Bombshell could have been a top-tier film. Ultimately, Bombshell is more self-aware than it seems, which saves it form being bad, but never really excels as it should.