In this time of lock-down, many of us are binging TV shows that we have
been meaning to catch up on. And while I have been joining many of the
masses in binging on missed TV shows, I am also binging on missed
movies. So to start my list, I figured I would begin with “Bombshell,”
the sleeper that came out at the end of last year from the directors of
the movies “Vice” and “The Big Short.”
"Bombshell" (Director: Jay Roach)
This movie talks about sexual harassment in the workplace, specifically focusing on the Fox News scandal that Gretchen Carlson (played by Nicole Kidman) brought against Roger Ailes (John Lithgow). Now, sexual harassment can go both ways in the workplace, this one just happened to focus on this specific case. The original thought is that Gretchen is just trying to get back at the company because she was fired, when the reality is, she was done with being sexually harassed on and off the air. But she is not the first woman to have it happen to her, and that’s what she is counting on as she brings the lawsuit against Ailes. She’s specifically hoping to get women from Fox News, but many are silent—most noticeably Megan Kelly (played by Charlize Theron). Megan Kelly is the opposite of Gretchen: while Gretchen is the victim who wishes to step forward and DO something about her situation, Megan is the one who is silent, who fears retribution, and doesn’t know exactly what she can say to whom. It’s interest to see the two ends of the spectrum of the victim presented to the viewer, especially from two people who were very noticeable in the media. The other character at play in this film is Kayla (Margot Robbie), who is meant to be a composite character of other women who were harassed by Ailes, and it’s when Kayla is approached by Megan that Kayla breaks and confides what happened to her.
This movie was definitely a bit of a sleeper, and felt a bit different from the other movies that this directing team has brought us. There were none of the break-out explanations that were very obvious in “The Big Short” or somewhat subtle in “Vice,” but that’s because this movie didn’t need those explanations. Because the women were recounting their stories, the explanations were in the recollection. And the ending monologue that talked about how the victim feels after the incident takes place is one that everyone should pay attention to, because that is how a victim can feel. And it is a mentality that should be erased.
