Review: "Bombshell" Lands With a Dud

Scene from Bombshell (2019)

With a better director (nay, a better script), Bombshell would've been a film brimming with such an urgency, defining the current Me Too Movement with its cross-section of topics ranging from journalism to presidencies to sexual harassment. The story of Fox News anchors bringing their boss to task for his bad behavior should be something that strikes a chord with viewers so much that they leave the theater vindicated that the bad guy got his due. Instead, it's an impersonal slog of a movie and one that lacks any urgency at all. What is found here is director Jay Roach's attempt at mattering by telling the story in the most boring, clinical way possible while still missing the point. It isn't about how well you know the story, but what it means to the people most being impacted by it. In some ways, it's the perfect embodiment of trend-hopping filmmaking that quickly exposes who hasn't seen it. Those who haven't will think it's important for what it's about, those who see it know better. It should be important, but alas... it's just desperate. 

The Trailer for "Bombshell" Shows Things Going Up for Oscar Potential

Scene from Bombshell (2019)

For those who follow modern politics very closely, there's a good chance that you have an opinion about Fox News - for better or worse. They remain one of the most influential resources in modern news, constantly being discussed as much for what they say as what their personal ethics are. With director Jay Roach's Bombshell, he decides to tackle one of the more notorious things that the news network was scrutinized for: the treatment of their female employees. The news itself was shocking when it was real, but with an all-star cast and a minimalist trailer, there's a tenseness that this new film will be a defining work not only for the ongoing Me Too movement but also an exploration of concepts like Fake News. If nothing else, it will help to add a human element to the story. 

Super Delegates Bonus: Lyndon B. Johnson in "All the Way" (2016)

Bryan Cranston

Welcome to Super Delegates Bonus. As a subsidiary of Super Delegates, the sporadic additional column is meant to explore depictions of politicians on film outside of the conventional methods of the column. This ranges from everything such as political candidates in TV movies and miniseries to real life candidates providing feedback on their pop culture representation. While not as frequent or conventional, the goal is to help provide a vaster look at politics on film as it relates to the modern election year. Join in and have some fun. One can only imagine what will be covered here.