Leila wrote this review of “Bombshell” for Ms. Mahoney’s Film Studies class.
Bombshell: An Expose of America’s Patriarchy
Bombshell is an intense and powerful film that dives deep into what America has become focusing on power, sexism, and empowerment. From fierce make-up to perfect costumes, there is nothing left up to imagination to showcase the characters. This 2019 drama was directed and produced by Jay Roach, an incredibly talented American filmmaker. Roach’s genre of films varies; furthermore, he is known for directing the Austin Powers film series, The Campaign, All The Way, and Game Changer. Although these films are quite different, the star-stacked cast and beautiful cinematography remain the same. Jay Roach impressively produced a raw and emotional film that tells the true story of three compelling, dynamic, and influential women while they battle the harsh world they work within. Bombshell allows men and women of all ages to see the alarming amount of stress women involved in politics and media constantly go through.
With 52 nominations and 21 wins, Bombshell features leading role actress Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly, supporting role actress Margot Robbie as Kayla Pospisil, and supporting role actress Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson. These three powerful female icons helped further reveal how witty, ambitious, and authoritative these news anchors were to stand up to sexual harassment in the workplace. In the 2020 Oscars both Charlize Theron and Margot Robbie were nominated for best performance by an actress in a leading role and best performance by an actress in a supporting role. Many critics may say Jay Roach picked too many celebrities to star in his film but I think this cast led to more attention and better performances to enhance the meaning of the film: Selling yourself, seeing the truth, and standing up to the patriarchy.
Bombshell tells the true story of the sexual harassment scandal that took down Roger Ailes, the head of Fox News and and the toxic atmosphere he presided over at the network. The film is based on a true story but is a mix between fiction and non-fiction. Roach uses a mix of real and fiction characters in Bombshell. It starrs Russell Crowe as Roger Ailes who was being accused of sexual harassment claims and his subsequent ousting from the network. Within Bombshell, Roach focuses specifically on three women that work for Fox News. Two women who have previously accused Roger Ailes of sexual harassment, former Fox News anchors Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson. Robbie plays a fictional character named Kayla Popsisil, who is a Fox News associate producer who was also sexually assaulted. In an interview, Margot Robbie gave insight about her character in the film: “Kayla is an amalgamation of many women’s stories, and some of the specifics you see in scenes with her are taken from real-life interactions those women experienced,” Robbie told Entertainment Weekly. Margot Robbie does a fantastic job portraying Kayla, but it is important to note that this character is fictional. Although allegations of sexual misconduct against Ailes date back to 2014, the film focuses on 2016, when news anchor Gretchen Carlson brought a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes. Megyn Kelly who would also go on to accuse Ailes of similar behaviour in 2016. Roach also dives into “Team Roger” and the fear he instilled in all of his employees. In an interview with Gentlemen’s Quarterly, Roach says, “If a woman spoke up about the harassment she was experiencing by Roger or Bill O’Reilly, that there would be a concerted effort to investigate her, find ways to attack the credibility, and [even] smear her character”. The amount of detail Roach incorporates is astonishing.
Bombshell won the Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling which is very prominent seeing how each character looks like the real person they are portraying. Each costume and makeup looks make the characters fit into the business world that they are in; they do not stand out but still look fantastic. Roach’s choice to focus on makeup and hairstyling adds to the believability of the film. It also points out how women in the news industry were expected to look because of stereotypical norms. In the beginning of the movie Kayla (Margot Robbie) is told to only wear dresses and skirts to show off her body. But by the end of the film that blatant sexism is broken down. Jay Roach used cinematic techniques to show hope, despair, and darkness using color, lights, shots, and angles. He chooses to use many close-ups to exaggerate and point-out facial expressions. This allows us to see tears stream down actresses’ faces and the fear in their eyes when they see Ailes. Bombshell also has many two-shot scenes within the film to display relationships and power dynamics. Roger Ailes is seen higher to suggest his power over the women during the entire film until his downfall. A very powerful scene shows all three women in the elevator together in one shot to show the jarring and relentless work environment that was created and cause chaos between the women in Fox. Each woman is the same height in this shot and at the same angle to suggest that they are all fighting this battle but not together. Roach also used prosthetics to further make the viewers remember this is based on a true story. In the interview with Gentlemen’s Quarterly, Roach talks about his decision to use prosthetics, “So you’re of course going to try to deliver that experience. We also use a lot of archival footage of the actual people who were part of it. All of that adds up, I think, to the audience being able to just lose themselves in the story”. Using prosthetics and makeup created a layered performance that captured the audience to feel for each character.
Bombshell is similar to Just Mercy, a drama produced by Destin Daniel Cretton in 2019: An insightful and impactful film that exposes the corruption of the judicial system and of America. American drama films are becoming even more popular and evident in today’s time to open a window into real events to stop ignorance. These are extremely relatable films for many people to watch as well. Bombshell helps spread awareness about the MeToo movement and the impact it has on women. This film did a phenomenal job at keeping the gravity of this situation while making it appropriate for viewers to watch. This film not only gave me knowledge but also evoked a strong emotional reaction of hope, strength, and support. Jay Roach should be applauded for telling this story in a beautiful cinematic experience.
Sources:
https://www.gq.com/story/jay-roach-bombshell-interview
https://ew.com/movies/2019/12/13/bombshell-margot-robbie-interview/