Three years into Donald Trump’s presidency, and the big screen interpretations of the messed up America he helped construct (and helped to construct him) are finally coming to the fore. Case in point: Bombshell, a new ‘based on a true story’ movie about his favourite TV station Fox News, and how its president Roger Ailes’ reputation crumbled after multiple women stepped forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct.
“Ask yourself what would scare my grandmother, or piss off my grandfather – and that’s a Fox story,” a producer-type character played by Kate McKinnon tells Margot Robbie’s Kayla Pospisil in the opening scene of the trailer. It then unspools to reveal the story of how McKinnon’s character, alongside some of the major figures on the station, managed to bring down the station’s most powerful figure.
The story starts in 2016, as anchor Gretchen Carlson, played by Nicole Kidman, files a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes, citing all of the misogynistic comments he’s made against her during her time there. Quickly, the saga unfolds further to loop in the controversial presenter Megyn Kelly (played uncannily by a sure contender for awards recognition, Charlize Theron), her professional relationship with Trump during the election campaign, and how she’s suffered at the hands of the Fox News boss.
For the film, director Jay Roach spoke to multiple women who had worked with Roger Ailes during his time there, who claimed to have witnessed or experienced sexual misconduct at his hands. They broke their NDAs to tell Jay their stories. From them, Jay created Margot Robbie’s Kayla — a composite character who embodies those several silenced women.
With the first screening having taken place last weekend, critics are setting this one-up to be a last minute shoe in for Oscar success before it hits UK cinemas early next year. What do you think? Watch the trailer below.