Film Review: BOMBSHELL

If you like seeing hot blondes in tight dresses, this movie is for you.

With Oscar season upon us, Bombshell is sure to be nominated for something, although I've got no predictions beyond that. With a cast of big names and a spicy topic -- sex always sells -- what's not to like? Taking a close look at the scandalous behavior and eventual firing of FOX News head Roger Ailes, that now-deceased giant of broadcasting, Bombshell fans the already considerable flames of mistrust of that organization, despite the events described taking place years ago.

The centerpiece of the film is the $20 million lawsuit brought against Ailes (John Lithgow) by former Fox News anchor-babe Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman), who claimed that Ailes fired her for refusing his sexual advances. While she plods along in meetings with her lawyers we are treated to an inside look at the workings of the huge media corporation, and to be honest it's pretty nauseating. Other victims of sexual harassment are news anchor Megyn Kelly (Charlize Theron) and a young fictional newsroom aide (Margot Robbie) who squirms under his pressure to "raise your skirt a little higher" during a job interview with a sweating, panting, blubbery, disgusting Ailes. (John Lithgow never looked so bad.)

The film's singular flaw is the constant flashing of the names of all the famous people as they appear onscreen. Ooh look: there's Chris Wallace and Kimberley Guilfoyle and Neil Cavuto and Bret Baier and Greta Van Susteren and Sean Hannity and Geraldo Rivera and Rudy Guiliani and Judge Jeanine Pirro and, OMG -- Bill O'Reilly! It wouldn't be so bad if they mattered to the story, but they didn't. Meanwhile, you're so distracted by judging how closely the actors resemble their real counterparts that you miss a lot of the dialog. It felt like seeing Madame Tussaud's wax figures come to life. It was, to put it bluntly, dumb. But fun anyway.