Skip to main content

Bombshell







Bombshell Story: A revealing look intoaccounts of sexual harassment in one of the most powerful and controversial media empires of all time – Fox News.

Bombshell Review: Based on the allegations made by Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) and Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman), against Roger Ailes (John Lithgow), the now-deceased chairman and CEO of Fox News and Fox Television Studios, ‘Bombshell’ also features Margot Robbie as Kayla Pospisil – a fictional producer meant to represent a composite of women who endured harassment from Roger Ailes.

The most striking aspect of the film is its casting and makeup. Both are truly remarkable, especially with Charlize Theron as Megyn Kelly. The actress knocks it out of the park with her performance, and all the awards buzz around her is well-deserved. Theron’s rendition of Kelly allows the audience to get a glimpse of her life before, and after the allegations came out. The screenplay doesn’t spend as much time on Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson since the focus is narratively skewed towards Megyn Kelly and Kayla Pospisil. But that doesn’t take away from Kidman’s impactful performance, worthy of ‘Supporting Actress’ nominations. However, Margot Robbie is a favourite to win that accolade, with a moving portrayal of Kayla Pospisil. This fictional character embodies a lot of ambitious women who are often naïve about the compromises they are expected to make by their male superiors. John Lithgow as Roger Ailes perfectly captures the thinking process of men in powerful positions. Besides these lead characters, all the supporting performances are well put together.

While the casting, makeup and performances are commendable and riveting to watch, the screenplay often takes a surface view of the overall scandal. Considering that the firing or ‘resignation’ of Roger Ailes paved the path for other influential men to be brought down for their abusive sexual behaviours, this film deserves to be more compelling in its emotional delivery. It tries to balance its dark subject matter with humour, leading to tonality issues. There is some uneven pacing as the screenplay goes from one character’s perspective to the next. But, although the sum isn’t greater than its parts, this is an essential film that needs to be watched, considering the significance of its real-life events and what they did for the ‘Me Too’ movement.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kuthiraivaal

  Kuthiraivaal Movie Review:  Manoj Leonel Jahson and Shyam Sunder’s directorial debut Kuthiraivaal brims with colours and striking imagery. This is apparent as early as its first scene, where its protagonist Saravanan alias Freud squirms in his bed, suspecting a bad omen. As some light fills his aesthetic apartment wrapped with vintage wall colours, his discomfort finally makes sense—for he has woken up with a horse’s tail! The scene is set up incredibly, leaving us excited for what is to come. But is the film as magical as the spectacle it presents on screen? Kuthiraivaal revolves around Saravanan (played by a brilliant Kalaiyarasan) and his quest to find out why he suddenly wakes up with a horse’s tail, and on the way, his existence in life. Saravanan’s universe is filled with colourful characters, almost magical yet just real enough—be it his whimsical neighbour Babu (Chetan), who speaks about his love for his dog and loneliness in the same breath, or the corner-side cigar...
1 comment
Read more

Maaran

Even as early as about five minutes into Maaran, it’s hard to care. The craft seems to belong in a bad TV serial, and the dialogues and performances don't help either. During these opening minutes, you get journalist Sathyamoorthy (Ramki) rambling on about publishing the ‘truth’, while it gets established that his wife is pregnant and ready to deliver ANY SECOND. A pregnant wife on the cusp of delivery in our 'commercial' cinema means that the bad men with sickles are in the vicinity and ready to pounce. Sometimes, it almost feels like they wait around for women to get pregnant, so they can strike. When the expected happens—as it does throughout this cliché-ridden film—you feel no shock. The real shock is when you realise that the director credits belong to the filmmaker who gave us Dhuruvangal Pathinaaru, that the film stars Dhanush, from whom we have come to expect better, much better. Director: Karthick Naren Cast: Dhanush, Malavika Mohanan, Ameer, Samuthirakani Stre...
3 comments
Read more

Mehandi Circus

                   In Mehandi Circus, romance is in the air. Somewhat literally. For, the hero and heroine fall in love to the sounds of Ilaiyaraaja songs and Yeh Raatein Yeh Mausam from Dilli Ka Thug. The guy is Jeeva (debutant Madhampatti Rangaraj, not-so-expressive), who has a music cassette shop in Poompaarai, Kodaikanal. The girl, Mehandi (Shweta Tripathi, impressive in her Tamil debut) is a performer in a circus that has come to the place. Mehandi’s father (Sunny Charles), who also runs the circus, is wary of encouraging this relationship, for Jeeva’s father, Rajangam (Marimuthu) calls the shots in the village. Rajangam is also casteist, so much that he will not even let a worker enter his living room to talk over the phone to his mother, who is critical! While the framing device, involving Mehandi’s teenage daughter, Nisha (Pooja), who comes in search of Jeeva, of Mehandi Circus, is set in 2010, much of the film happens ...
2 comments
Read more