Bombshell (2019)
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A group of women at Fox News work together to expose their CEO for sexual harassment.
The story
Following the 2016 Republican debate, Megyn Kelly faces backlash from Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Gretchen Carlson is removed from her show at Fox News and faces a hostile environment. When Carlson decides to sue the network's CEO, Roger Ailes, for sexual harassment, the news breaks, prompting Kelly to reveal her own experiences with his behavior. As more women at the network come forward to share their stories of harassment, the internal culture of the network is challenged. The film follows these women as they navigate the legal and personal consequences of exposing the truth about their workplace.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After the 2016 Republican debate, Megyn Kelly faces backlash from Donald Trump. Simultaneously, Gretchen Carlson is demoted at Fox News and, after being harassed by CEO Roger Ailes, decides to sue him personally. The news of her lawsuit leads Kelly to reveal her own history of harassment by Ailes. As other women at the network begin to come forward, Kelly encourages them to speak out. Carlson eventually reveals she has recorded conversations to undermine Ailes's credibility. Following a series of accusations, Ailes is fired by Rupert Murdoch and settles with Carlson for $20 million under a non-disclosure agreement. Fox eventually pays the victims $50 million, while Ailes and host Tucker Carlson receive $65 million in severance.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 109
- Production countries
- United States; Canada
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Jay Roach
- Writers
- Charles Randolph · writer
- Cast and characters
- Charlize Theron · Megyn Kelly; Nicole Kidman · Gretchen Carlson; John Lithgow · Roger Ailes; Kate McKinnon · a fictional producer; Connie Britton; Malcolm McDowell · Rupert Murdoch; Allison Janney · Susan Estrich; Margot Robbie · a composite associate producer
- Genres
- biographical drama; feminist
- Themes
- sexual harassment; women in media; corporate accountability
- Tone and mood
- drama; satirical
- Premise and plot tags
- biographical; legal drama; true story
- Source material / true-story basis
- Based on the accounts of the women at Fox News.
- Content notes
- sexual harassment
- Reception
- The film received mostly positive reviews, praised for its acting and production design, though it faced some criticism regarding its screenplay and plot accuracy.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 64 · scale: 100 · review count: 46; PostTrak · score: 4 · scale: 5
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Makeup and Hairstyling · 2020 · Won; Guild of Music Supervisors Awards · Best Song Written or Recorded for a Film · 2020 · Won
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled Fair and Balanced.; The film's budget was $32 million.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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