Why were Diane Lane, Andie MacDowell, Cara Delevingne and Gloria Allred at the Pacific Design Center theater in West Hollywood on Sunday evening? Those AMPAS and SAG members were on hand along with numerous industry dignataries and members of the media for the first “public” screening of Jay Roach’s “Bombshell.” And, yes, the movie’s title is more than appropriate not only for the subject matter but a trio of performances that more than live up to the hype.
Official reviews are currently being embargoed until December (we’ll see how long that lasts), but we can certainly confirm the film chronicles the fall of Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) from his once lofty perch at the top of Fox News. Charles Randolph‘s screenplay is mostly told from the perspectives of Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) and fictional segment producer Kayla Pospisil (Margot Robbie) before exploring the firecracker of events following a sexual harrassment lawsuit filed by Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman). A series of events that set the stage for Harvey Weinstein’s fall a little over a year later and the beginning of the #MeToo movement.
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From an awards season perspective one cannot exaggerate how incedible Theron’s turn as Kelly truly is. Not only does she look hauntingly like Kelly at times, but her performance is grounded with a vocal similiarity that is simply a marvel to experience. It’s not even close to mimicry or some sort of an impression. Hours later we admit we’re still awestruck by her achievement. Moreover, Theron is a lock to earn a Best Actress nomination and in any other year, she’d be a massive frontrunner to win. That being said, it’s the middle of October and AMPAS already appears head over heals for Renee Zellweger’s transformation into Judy Garland in the indie hit “Judy.” We’d argue what Theron does is more impressive, but is it too late to slow down the Zellweger train? We’re open to the possibilities.
Robbie, who was also fantastic as Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood” earlier this year, is even more impressive in this picture. She makes you believe Pospisil was a real life figure in the proceedings (she is, in fact, a composite based on interviews Randolph conducted) and completely nails one of the most emotional scenes in the movie. In theory, she’d also be the top choice to win the Supporting Actress Oscar, but “Marriage Story’s” Laura Dern and (potentially) “Little Women’s” Florence Pugh have a massive say in that race. Simply put, this is arguably the best work of Robbie’s career and yes, that means she’s better here than she was in “I, Tonya.”
The third member of the trio, Kidman, is very good, but is the most “supporting” of the three roles. She has a shot of earning her fifth Oscar nomination, but a lot more dust needs to settle in the category before its a given. Of course, double nominations from the same film aren’t exactly rare in this category (it’s already occured nine times this century).
As for the rest of the cast, Lithgow is worthy enough to earn a Supporting Actor nomination for his role as Ailes, but that is such a competitive category this season (bloodbath is not an exaggeration) that he might not make the cut. Kate McKinnon, Connie Britton, Allison Janney, Alice Eve, Mark Duplass, Rob Delaney and Malcom McDowell (as Rupert Murdoch, no less) all provide memorable turns with sometimes little screentime. If this isn’t close to the definition of a SAG Awards Ensemble nominee, I’m not sure what is.
Randolph’s smart script seems like an easy Original Screenplay nod for the former Oscar winner. That written work along with the acting ensemble and the fact it’s message will hit home to so many makes”Bombshell” seem like a likely Best Picture nominee. Roach’s directorial aesthetic is not as sophisticated as the somewhat similar style Adam McKay exhibited in “The Big Short” (written by Randolph) and “Vice,” but like those nominees the performances and the subject matter should resonate with the Academy.
The already legendary Oscar winner Kazu Hiro (“Darkest Hour”) is the maestro behind the transformative makeup that turns Lithgow into Ailes. His colleagues responsible for the rest of the Hair and Makeup departments deserve a nod too (although we easily clocked Theron’s lacefront once if it’s not too late to digitally clean that up Lionsgate…). Colleen Atwood‘s costume design and Mark Richter‘s production design are probably already underrated considering the subject matter and worthy of major consideration. Richter strikingly recreates the Fox News sets and Atwood does wonders recreating the, um, unique Fox News on-air aesthetic.
“Bombshell” is currently scheduled to open nationwide on Dec. 20. Considering the subject matter and potential to start a converstation about the treatment of women in the workplace you wonder if it should open much, much earlier. I mean, wouldn’t we all enjoy “Knives Out” at Christmas in stead of Thanksgiving? Is it too late for a game of flip the dates? Just a thought.