Powerful leads help ignite fizzling Fox News exposé.

Without a shadow of a doubt, #MeToo has been one of the defining moments in Hollywood’s history. Not only did it cause a seismic shift within the film industry, bringing to light more deplorable examples of abuse than you can shake a lawsuit at, but the ripples it caused turned it into a truly global, all-encompassing movement.

As it has grown and evolved through the years, giving voice to abuse victims across the spectrum, one of the movement’s key components is its political neutrality. Of course, by its very nature, the entire thing is socio-political, however, for #MeToo to continue its relevancy, it must stay unpartisan.

Harassment and abuse in any form isn’t a left or a right thing, it’s a basic human decency thing. Regardless of how much you disagree with one’s political beliefs, there is never any justification for the kind of sexual manipulation women around the world have had to go through.

When Fox News stalwart Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) slaps the network’s founder Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) with a sexual harassment lawsuit, no one could predict what would happen next. Steeled by her colleague’s actions, fellow anchor Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron), together with Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie) and a number of other women, comes forward with her own accusations, inciting a movement that would reverberate around the world.

Swap Fox News for any other workplace and you have yourself an equally fascinating and appalling story of abuse and manipulation, yet, with one of the most infamous US networks going involved, you’ve got something truly horrifying. Not only does it predate #MeToo’s rise to prominence by a good few years, but the story of Gretchen Carlson and Megyn Kelly shines a light on just how, regardless of a woman’s status or political allegiances, calling out such abuse can be devastating for both their wellbeing and their careers.

At this point, I will openly admit that I loathe Fox News, not just for their political leanings, but for their abhorrent penchant for bigoted, hate-spewing fake news. They truly are a network built in the image of their founder Roger Ailes and owner Rupert Murdoch, and, as such, I wouldn’t usually give them the time of day; however, the truly reprehensible real-life acts behind Bombshell mean that any pre-conceived bias must be put to one side.

To its credit, Bombshell adopts this stance, taking things as down-the-line as humanly possible. Measuring his approach well, director Jay Roach ensures that the story behind the film is treated with balance and care, while neither condoning Fox as a company nor turning the entire thing into a feature-length pot-shot. The result is certainly even-handed, although it never quite becomes the scorching #MeToo exposé it promises to be.

With a strikingly similar filmography to Adam McKay, Jay Roach appears to find inspiration in The Big Short director’s unique sardonic approach, as Bombshell hits the ground running with a stinging satirical punch, yet it doesn’t take long before things are swiftly toned down to a more conservative pace. Considering the sensitive nature of the plot, this is somewhat understandable, however, the jarring tonal switch comes off confused as the film struggles to pick an appropriate approach. 

Caught between two stalls, Bombshell’s blend of comedy and drama has its highlights but often lands awkwardly in the middle, unable to decide whether to tackle the story with the unique comedic edge of The Big Short or play it straight in the vein of something like Spotlight. The result is an uneasy one as the tonal swagger of the film’s first act swiftly fades and a more cautious humour takes over.

Juxtaposed against its thematic heaviness, Bombshell’s humour can be light relief, yet it just as often feels uncomfortable, with the writing lacking confidence and incisiveness. However, despite its comedic patchiness, the film finds far more of a footing with its drama, as Jay Roach moves beyond his Austin Powers roots to navigate a minefield of a story with admirable maturity.

It’s no mean feat to circumnavigate such a sexual harassment story while ensuring the true horror of Roger Ailes’ actions and his victims’ impossible situation are shown due respect, yet Roach does so in style. While his directorial flashes sometimes sit awkwardly with the material, when the director knuckles down, the true power of Bombshell lands.

With a fair and unflinching approach, the director takes care to pay attention to the conflicting concerns, needs, and dilemmas of Bombshell’s three protagonists, delicately tackling the complex nature of their accusations while leaning into the natural drama of the unfolding events. Refusing to get on its soapbox, Bombshell sits back to let the events speak for themselves, as Ailes’ misdemeanours and the pain of Megyn, Gretchen, and Kayla (who is an amalgam of several different victims) are left painfully bare for all to see.

Even as it criss-crosses between its three leads, the film’s plot stays focused on the job at hand, letting their realisations and actions drive the narrative, as each character is given their fair share of the story. As it swings between Gretchen Carlson’s trailblazing attempt at bringing Ailes to task, Megyn Kelly’s gradual realisation that she must join the fight, and the horror of wide-eyed Kayla getting caught in Ailes’ web, Bombshell balances its narrative well, offering a multi-dimensional view of an issue too often portrayed as black and white.

As billings go, no one plays second fiddle here. While there are certainly moments where each protagonist is pushed to the forefront, there’s little doubt this is a three-way show that offers each one a chance to shine. Backed up in customary style by an unrecognisable John Lithgow, who puts his all into his slimy, deeply disturbing turn as Roger Ailes, Bombshell’s central trio bring everything they’ve got to the table.

Given sometimes inconsistent material to work with, Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, and Margot Robbie take the entire film to a whole new level, as they slip effortlessly into the skin of their (mostly) real-life characters. To play public figures without sliding into parody is no mean feat, yet all three step up to the mark with verve, nuance, and an energy that takes things above the realm of mere impression.

As the least showy of the three roles, Kidman is nonetheless at the forefront of the narrative throughout, coming across as a fascinating mix of meekness and power that underpins the entire film. Although her story is gradually overshadowed by others and Carlson’s role in the plot tapers off, Kidman’s performance never dips, as she lays down a strong foundation for her co-stars to build on. 

Given a role that has no real-world counterpart, Margot Robbie is afforded a little more freedom to put her own stamp on her character, as she plays Kayla with a green, clean-cut innocence that offers us Bombshell’s most relatable figure. Looking up at the world of Fox News in naïve awe as a low level employee eying ways to climb the ladder, the gradual pull of Kayla into Ailes’ sordid world could well be anyone, making the heart-breaking realisation of what’s been done to her all the more painful.

The film, however, is owned by Charlize Theron from start to finish. Handed the unenviable task of portraying perhaps Fox News’ most famous (or infamous) anchor in Megyn Kelly, Theron absolutely sinks into the role with chameleon-like abandon, as she all but disappears. 

Utterly unrecognisable under the impressive makeup, Theron brings absolutely everything to the table for a comprehensive performance that embodies Megyn Kelly’s demeanour and mannerisms while putting her own mark on things. Not since her Oscar-winning turn in Monster has Theron disappeared so thoroughly into a character and the result is truly astonishing, as she brings both power and a surprising vulnerability to the role. 

Despite this, Bombshell really is a triple threat, as the film’s three headliners all offer some of the finest work of their careers. While the film’s writing may hold back from probing its contentious subject matter to its fullest, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, and Charlize Theron do their damnedest to negotiate the choppy waters of Fox News and the pre-#MeToo era with style, grace, and the kind of compassion that feels at odds with Bombshell’s controversial protagonists.

Approaching Fox News, Roger Ailes, and a pre-#MeToo landscape where calling out workplace abuse was tantamount to career suicide, Bombshell does a decent job of tackling things from an admirably even-handed, neutral standpoint but fails to take things much further than that. Regardless of your opinion on Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson, their treatment by Roger Ailes was nothing short of horrendous, and director Jay Roach respects this as he refuses to use Bombshell as an opportunity to take political pot-shots, choosing instead to lay bare the facts for all to see. The film’s mix of humour and tragedy is often uncomfortable as Roach struggles to find a consistent, satisfying tone, yet the result is no less shocking. Bolstered by a trio of impressive performances, Bombshell certainly isn’t the best film of the year but considering its continued relevancy, it may well be the most important.