Bombshell 2019

      Gretchen Carlson brings a law suit against Fox News founder Roger Ailes.  She is alleging sexual harassment.  Everyone is wondering what will happen next?  Fox News correspondent Megyn Kelly comes forward with her own story of harassment.  Multiple other women decide to add their stories and this becomes a movement that reverberates around the world.  It came to be known as the Me Too Movement.  

     Sexual harassment includes any unwelcome sexual advances and it can be verbal or physical contact.  This is a fact-based drama and it is eye-opening about how Roger Ailes treated the women at Fox News.  This film can serve as a useful tool for parents to share with older teens as a warning about manipulation.  How it’s difficult to counter sexist behavior and how women really feel about it.  There is smoking by a powerful figure, lots of swearing and crass language.  The environment is highly political but there aren’t any discussions about politics.  5* (I really liked this movie)

109 min, bio directed by Jay Roach and written by Charles Randolph with Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Allison Janney, Malcolm McDowell, Kate McKinnon, Connie Britton, Liv Hewson, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Rob Delaney, Mark Duplass.

Note:  Imdb 6.8 out of 10 with 68,467 reviews, Rotten Tomatoes 69% with 313 critics 84% with 6,822 audience ratings, Roger Ebert 3* Christy Lemire, The Guardian 2* out of 5* Simran Hans, Metacritic 64 out of 100 with 46 critic reviews,  27 positive, 18 mixed, 1 negative, 6.2 with 147 user scores, 81 positive, 43 mixed, 23 negative), Common Sense Media, Tara McNamara, age 15+, 4* positive messages, 4* role models, 2* violence, 3* sex, 4* language, 3* drinking drugs & smoking, Amazon 4.2* out of 5* with 11,679 reviews.  5* (I really liked this movie)

Special Note:  Director Jay Roach is best known for his Austin Powers movies.  Make-up turns Charlize Theron into Megyn Kelly and many fans were confused about who was the actress playing Kelly.  Some thought her to be Elizabeth Banks?  I had trouble keeping all the blonds in order!!  The scene with Kayla Pospisil being asked to lift up her skirt was filmed with multiple cameras capturing all the angles at once.  Jay Roach wanted Margot to do this scene in one take.  Kayla Pospisil is the only main character not based on a real person.  She is a combination of real-life people or experiences rolled into one character.  Josh and Ben Lawson play the Murdoch brothers and they are brothers in real life.