Bombshell (2019)

'Bombshell' is a very surreal movie, I almost couldn't believe that it was made, that I was watching it. You have famous Hollywood celebrities playing famous Fox News personalities, sometimes only in cameo, such as Alice Eve as Ainsely Earhardt, Ashley Greene as Abby Huntsman and Jennifer Morrison as Juliet Huddy. Though not a Fox News personality Susan Estrich is played in a supporting part by Allison Janney who perfectly captures her distinct raspy voice. Charlize Theron does a remarkable job of mimicking Megyn Kelley's voice, and physically becomes her, it's almost too good. Though he only has one scene Kevin Dorff's performance, in heavy make up and facial appliances, as Bill O'Reilly approaches the uncanny valley. John Lithgow's transformation into Fox New chief Roger Ailes recalls Christian Bale's becoming Dick Cheney in last years 'Vice'.

'Vice' in fact is a good jumping off point for this movie. Like it and 'The Big Short', 'Bombshell' is a movie about a serious subject helmed by a principally comedy director, in this case Jay Roach who did the 'Austin Powers' and 'Meet the Parents' movies, as well as HBO television films about recent presidential elections, 'Recount' and 'Game Change'. Like the earlier mentioned Adam McKay movies 'Bombshell' has its share of characters explaining things to the camera, and sometimes text telling  you who someone is supposed to be when they first appear on screen. The film is about the sexual harassment allegations against Roger Ailes, and how many of them accumulated over decades eventually lead to his losing his job. All this set to the background of the political rise of Donald Trump, himself subject of many allegations of harassment.

Fox News here comes across as a very toxic place to work, sexual harassment allegations were not limited to Ailes, these practices seem to have settled in to the corporate culture, not that they aren't present in all too many areas of American life and business, 'The Harvey Weinstein Story' also calls out to be made. Basically nobody depicted in this movie comes out looking very good. to my estimation at least. Megyn Kelly is a very reluctant, late to the game hero. Gretchen Carlson (played well by Nicole Kidman) doesn't finalize her suit against Ailes until her career is officially over at Fox, they fire her. Margot Robbie plays a composite character named Kayla Pospisil, a stand in for many of Ailes victims. Early in the film she pitches herself as wanting to be the networks voice for 'evangelical millennial's' and shortly there after hops into bed for sex with a woman she's known for only a day or two, SNL's Kate McKinnon playing a closeted Fox News producer, who doesn't know if her being a lesbian or her being a democrat would be the worse for her career if it got out. Everybody in this story, with a few possible minor character exceptions, is seemingly more focused on surface appearances then interior substance. Many conservatives see Fox News as something of a moral beacon, this story thoroughly undercuts that. This is one of the saddest movies of the year. ***1/2