Bombshell

Year: 2019

Actors: Katie Aselton, Margot Robbie, Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron

Duration: 109 min

Focusing on three women - two real life and one fictitious (arguably a composite of many real life women) - the toxic work environment at Fox News for females at the hands of the network's President Roger Ailes is dramatized, specifically the period in early to mid 2016. Megyn Kelly has made it to where many aspire, namely hosting her own prime time show on the network, as well as being given the plum assignments, such as being one of the moderators of the GOP's presidential candidates debate. Unlike most right wing journalists, she decides to confront candidate Donald Trump about his poor public treatment of women, especially the denigrating name calling, such action by Kelly which does not sit well with the staunchest of his supporters. Gretchen Carlson was once at Kelly's position with the network, but she is seeing her star fading given a dead on-air time slot, that demotion largely from her outspoken stance on many issues. She, in the process, receives Ailes' ire in not presenting herself as eye candy as is the unofficial expectation of all women at the network, on air personalities or otherwise. Seeing the writing on the wall, she takes preemptive steps to protect her future. Kayla Pospisil, an avowed evangelical, has always wanted to work for Fox, and aspires to being an on-air personality. In taking proactive steps to reach that goal, she attracts the attention of Ailes. A major incident occurs at the network in that Carlson is ultimately fired, which prompts her to enact those steps she was working on: she sues Ailes himself for sexual misconduct, unlike previous suits by others before her suing the network unsuccessfully. Factoring the fear that exists among many female employees that are aware of Ailes' actions toward them as a collective, Kelly and Pospisil have to decide if they will come forward publicly to divulge their own experiences of Ailes' inappropriate behavior toward them - Kelly's ten years prior, Pospisil's current - at the possible risk to their careers where Ailes and the network have not tolerated anything but unconditional loyalty.—Huggo

Genre: Action   Biography   Drama