Review of Bombshell
midlandsmovies • May 6, 2020
Review of Bombshell
Bombshell (2020) Directed by Jay Roach
From the director of Meet the Parents and the Austin Powers movies (!) comes a topical drama about the American Fox News Network and its culture of harassment in the workplace.
CEO Roger Ailes (a sleazy John Lithgow) heads up a news office lead by anchor Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) whose journalism work is undermined by sexist comments from presidential candidate Donald Trump. She receives little support from Ailes whilst colleague Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) fares even worse. She loses her job before subsequently attempting to expose the culture of abuse at the tv station.
Margot Robbie plays composite character Kayla Pospisil, a budding journalist who is harassed by Ailes. He promises promotions based on her willingness to engage in acts that become increasingly depraved.
The three leads are outstanding and are the film’s greatest strength. These resilient women are at different stages on their career, showing how the culture was both engrained whilst continuing against new staff members too.
Kidman’s frustration and isolation for speaking up is so well defined, whilst Robbie’s abuse at the hands of Ailes is far from gratuitous on screen, yet almost impossible to watch. Theron, covered in amazing Oscar-winning makeup and hairstyling, holds the whole thing together and the fact the trio bond over the situation is both fascinating and ultimately horrifying in its portrayal.
In the climate of the #metoo movement it would have been easy to make such a film preachy or give it a hammer-over-the-head approach. However, Bombshell’s success works because of its nuance and understated reality – which gives it a far more powerful punch – creating an engaging and imperative true-life story audiences need to hear.
★★★★
Michael Sales
On Sunday 26th April Midlands Movies Editor Michael Sales & awards ceremony co-host Ed Stagg (BBC Radio) announced the nominations for the 2026 Midlands Movies Awards live from the Queen of Bradgate Vintage Cinema in Leicester. A big thanks was given to the entire Jury Panel of industry experts who gave up their precious time to watch a huge selection of creative projects and as always, had a difficult time choosing from the excellent number of films from the region. You can read the full list of nominations across all 16 categories below and watch our announcement videos here: Part 1 & Part 2 And please also check out our great awards partner Chrome Video Best Actress in a Leading Role Karendip Phull for Family Kate Bracken for The Lace Rachel Baker for Throwing Fruit Chloe Wade for How Long Sophie Bullock for Ma Prison Best Animated Film Of All the Things by Steff Lee Big Red by James Pyle Statue in the Garden by Qianhui Yu Butterfly by Jacob Christie Best Director Luke Worrall for The Waterline Lily Portman for Quiet Jack Richardson for Daniel’s Room Jonathan Hawes for Sorry We’re Closed Sophia Dall'Aglio for Man from Mars Best Documentary Nothing's Impossible by Jacob Thomas McClean A Birmingham Symphony by Jemma Saunders We Bring Light: Leicester's Diwali Legacy by Kieran Vyas The Sunshine Café by Jill Lampert Through the Viewfinder by William North Best Sound (Editing or Mixing) Neil Evans & his team for Artificial Insanity Alasdair Gretton for Dead on Distribution Deepanjali Patel for Earworm David Hamilton-Smith for The Pause Heidi Wilson for Of All The Things Best Actor in a Supporting Role Devon Junior for Lazar Tim Sparrow for Safety Net Shaiek Ahmed Rana for Family Luke Rollason for Quiet Peter Willoughby for A Story of Spring Best Visual & Special Effects Jake Wesley-Worrall for Soul Trader Steve Askey & team for The Correction Unit Nick Willett, Matt Burkey & Jayne Hyman for Black Goat JaqD SFX MUA, Mind Magic Studios and Ben Harker for Beyond the Witching Hour Pete Key, Jai Blanks and Jacob Christie for Countenance Best Cinematography Gary Rogers for The Pause Laurence Mason-Guetta for Sorry We’re Closed Ian Snape for Soul Trader Ash Connaughton for Daniel’s Room Duane Adamoli for Surfing (nominations continue below...)
As someone who has been a fan of indie horror games for over a decade, I was jumping for joy when I first saw the announcement that an indie horror game I really enjoyed was receiving a film adaptation
On a bright Sunday morning at a campsite just off the A52 in rural Staffordshire, you would never have guessed that a run-of-the-mill grass field would soon set the stage for an epic encounter between 15th century armies.
Lacuna is a new short film from Midlands director Sophie Black and explores the sensitive subject of sexual abuse and its many ramifications.