HOLLYWOOD─Very rarely do I have movies as a must-see on my list, but after seeing that amazing and I amazing trailer for “Bombshell” I have been eagerly waiting for this movie to get its release in theaters. Why? Let me just say it, Charlize Theron! What the makeup and hair people did with her character is beyond Oscar worthy. If this team does not win for their ability to transform Theron into a nearly identical version of former FOX News host Megyn Kelly I will be livid.
Yes, Theron plays Kelly and she does it with ferocity, an intensity and satirical approach of comedy that works. As a viewer you have to do a double take several times because Theron looks so close to the real Megyn Kelly it is damn scary. I would argue I was surprised by the level of satire in this movie. I expected it to be a bit more dramatic in its flair, but its edgy comedy helps punch the ticket about this realm of sexual harassment that has been present in our society for decades, if not centuries and has just recently been exposed into a movement a few years ago.
Alongside Theron, Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie, who portray Gretchen Carlson and Kayla Pospisil. Kidman is also transformative in her role as Carlson and it’s nice to see the Oscar-winner in such a juicy role. It’s flashy, just not as flashy as Theron’s character. Robbie is just a beacon in the role of the gullible Kayla, who is not a real-life character, but fictionalized. However, she plays a vital role in the exposure of the head honcho Roger Ailes played with grotesqueness by John Lithgow.
Yes, this movie utilizes makeup in a big way to really capture these iconic personas as splitting images from the actors and actresses who portray them. “Bombshell’ has an epic cast, and I can only imagine how much money it cost to make this movie with this caliber of thespians, but let me be crystal clear even with the likes of Kate McKinnon, Connie Britton, Malcolm McDowell, Allison Janney, Ashley Green, P.J. Byrne and a host of others, this movie belongs to its three leads.
The audience is immersed into their lives and how they navigate amongst the madness in a newsroom that feels like a boy’s locker room at times where certain code is spoken and you follow the rules, get eaten alive or get the boot. For those sleeping under a rock, the story encapsulates a grouping of women who help expose the sexual deeds that Ailes utilized in the workplace as a way to help boost the careers of some of the networks biggest names, and how things were kept secret until they weren’t.
The fun element of this movie is even though you have an idea of how it ends with Ailes being ousted from the company it’s a ton of fun watching the inner workings of this network that has become a titan in the news arena. Will they, won’t they? Those are questions lingering in the viewers head as the narrative progresses, and having that level of slight comedy with tinges of sarcasm works. I wonder if “Bombshell” would have been as entertaining if I was watching an intense drama where there were giggles made because of silly dialogue or funny shenanigans that transpire within the lives of these three women who are just a small slice of voices for the many women out there who are victims, who have seen or participated in allowing the world of sexual harassment in the workplace to continue to fester.
Theron is indeed a lock for a Best Actress Oscar. Her performance is some of the finest work we’ve seen from the actress in years, I’m still livid she was snubbed for her performance in “Mad Max: Fury Road.” She cannot be ignored here because her portrayal of Kelly is layered, nuanced and just a ton of fun to watch. I loved it. Similar sentiment have to be echoed for Kidman and Robbie whose portrayals of their characters heighten the punch the movie delivers about women bonding together to take out a obvious threat, even though at first it’s a game of survival; as long as it’s not me.
“Bombshell” has a witty, clever and sharp script that tells us while the #MeToo movement might have quieted down, we should not forget such things are still happening today. If we don’t speak about it, it’ll continue to fester and build until it can no longer be ignored.
