"Bombshell" screens shaking up Best Actress
Tuesday, October 15, 2019 at 9:00AM by Eric Blume
Potentially great news just arrived for the undernourished Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress races: Jay Roach’s Bombshell had its first screening in LA on Sunday night, and the word out of the gate seems overwhelmingly positive.
Reviews for the film are embargoed for another eight weeks or so, but various sources online are saying Charlize Theron’s “transformational” performance as Fox News personality Megyn Kelly is explosive and catapults her into the top of the Best Actress race...
Word also looks great for Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie in the Supporting category, as well as a potential Supporting Actor nod for John Lithgow as creepy Roger Ailes. Several folks have referenced that “practically every actor in SAG is actually in the movie.” This is a factoid not to be underestimated, as actors are the largest voting block and have carried many movies to Best Picture nominations simply because they all wish they’d been IN the movie.
Looking at this news is interesting from an Oscar context. Charlize won Best Actress early in her career, and has had only a quick follow-up nomination (for North Country two years after winning for Monster), despite several complex and deeply accomplished performances, most noticeably in Young Adult and Tully. She’s well respected in the business, and has taken on a producer role on many of her projects (and outside of her own vehicles, as with David Fincher’s streaming series Mindhunter).
If one looks at her alongside Renee Zellweger for Judy, we’d have two actresses close in age, with careers that started around the same time, both of whom have already won Oscars, playing real-life people requiring physical and vocal transformations. It’ll be interesting, if they do end up being our front-runners, which actress Hollywood would prefer to anoint with a second Academy Award.
If Kidman and Robbie snag nominations, it’d be Nicole’s fifth and Margot’s second…and the second time in two years that we’d see two supporting actresses from the same film (after last year’s The Favourite) though that's not an uncommon occurence in Oscar history. Margot Robbie is already in the conversation in this category this year for her role in Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, but as lovely as she is in that film, she doesn’t have much to do. Evidently Robbie has much more screen time than Kidman in Bombshell, which could weigh in her favor. Both are actresses held in high regard in Hollywood, and there’s definitely a scenario where both could be recognized, especially since the category this year isn’t overcrowded.
And while Lithgow has been winning Emmys (he has six!) and other industry awards with fair regularity, he hasn’t been up for an Oscar in 35 years (he has two nominations, for The World According to Garp and Terms of Endearment, back-to-back in the early '80s). It’d be fun to see him back in play for the big award, although his category is frontloaded with an assortment of huge movie stars this year, some of them in leading roles.
I realize there are concerns about this movie due to the gross Fox News of it all, and people are split on Jay Roach (I’m in the pro camp and thought what he did with the treatment of Sarah Palin -- and Julianne Moore’s performance -- in Game Change was remarkable), but we needed some juice in the actress categories this year, and it looks like we've got it.
What are your thoughts?
Reader Comments (49)
Very happy about the raves the movie is getting (though most reviews barely mention Nicole - is her role that small?) and I can't wait to see it!
French -- yeah, I dont think she's getting nominated personally but stranger things have happened. I'm guessing this is a slam dunk for Margot and Charlize though given their raves (and in the case of Margot given that it's also a way to sorta honor "Once Upon a Time..." too)
I wouldn't bet on Nicole.
I hate to say it but I'm afraid we've entered a stretch of Kidman fatigue. She's better at promoting her projects than she is at choosing them—which is forgivable but she's becoming overexposed. If a role as baity as Boy Erased or as transformational as Destroyer didn't land with the Oscars, why would this?
Coattails and box office, maybe. A supporting nomination for those reasons wouldn't feel like much of a victory for her, though.
didn't renee and charlize win on the same night? that would be a fascinating competition right there...
Lithgow, like Bening, Ronan and Viola in lead, are inevitable wins. Why not get it out of the way now.
To me, Bombshell is the Vice of this year. It may be well-regarded, but I have zero interest in seeing it due to the subject matter.
Theron's been on the cusp of a 3rd three times and that will help her,plus she's a true female box office star,the last of them.
I think she's pretty good in North Country and deserved the nomination,it has some gr8 male characters in supporting roles too.
Young Adult is the snub that still stings,a one time comic marvel.
Does this mean Kidman gets in if Robbie splits her vote.
Why embargo good reviews that will only generate heat and good box office.
I agree Kidman does a lot but if she's good then why not consider her,Janney is supposedly on point to.
Charlize is respected by the industry, yes, but I feel she's not "liked". AMPAS prefers nominate actresses they (sic 😉) like more. Margot, on the other hand, AMPAS is crazy to give her an Oscar, right? - I can see her winning first as a supporting player and then in a leading role. Nicole, with one more supporting nomination? Really? No, thanks. As for Lithgow, he's one of my favorites since I saw him on TV in Terms of Endearment; I regretted that his relationship with Winger didn't succed. Theron, Kidman and Robbie are an amazing trio of stars-actresses and if the reviews are really positive we can consider Robbie "in" - yes, being in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood playing another real life person helps.
Kyle Buchanan had a good take on the film on twitter. He was mainly positive, but compared the film's tone to Vice and said that the fact that Robbie's character is a fictional composite may be an issue for it. I think the film needs to screen for more reliable voices (like Buchanan) before people start handing it Oscars.
Eric: If it came down to a fight between Renee and Charlize? I'd want to say Charlize has the heavy advantage. She won Lead and she has the career to justify win #2 (I mean, Bombshell being nomination #5 or 6 makes more sense than it being nomination #3) that Renee...doesn't. But, well, they also handed Christoph Waltz a second win for...really not doing anything he hadn't done in win #1? That said, it's also likely that two performances like this split votes and force a fictional character up the middle to the win.
Judy Garland vs. Megyn Kelly... What a world LOL
Hollywood seems unwilling to own the fact that its hazardous HR situation is uniquely rotten, orders of magnitude worse than you’d find in any ordinary line of work. So instead of focusing on the subtle forms of harassment and discrimination women face (think Lily Tomlin in 9 to 5) they seem desperate to prove they're not outrageous outliers on the Parton front.
George-
That would be cool if we could get a Joker Vs. Elton John matchup in the Best Actor category to make it equally bizarre. lol
Volvagia - I would think so, too, but they love stories about their own industry, which favors Renee. Then again, Marriage Story is about entertainment industry folks, too, and this may favor someone who never won, a la Adrien Brody.
Anonny: I mean, Hollywood, as bad as it gets, still isn't (shudders) Video Games. Video Games: Hundred Hour Work Weeks + Yeah, Throw In Those Money Milking Mechanics + Typical to art bro-artist risks = HR Nightmare.
@Suzanne
I also think Judy will make a good DVD screener. It's a buoyant, entertaining little movie once the music starts. It doesn't demand much of viewers the way The Wife did. You had to wait 90 minutes for payoff on that performance.
I can see Bombshell doing well in NY, LA and major cities, but how will this play with the Fox News crowd? Will they see it out of curiosity?
Nat as along time reader I remember you being cool on Charlize's Oscar win so soon after Kidman,Berry,Swank all de glamming.Has your opinion changed on that performance and her as an actress and would she be a top fiver 2003 now.
I suspect notices for this will ultimately fall somewhere between THE BIG SHORT's and VICE's.
Theron's probably a shoo-in for a nom in a curiously barebones Best Actress field. Lithgow could be a player but his category is far more chaotic. And then Robbie has two films to contend with and could perhaps leave voters at a loss of which to support.
Don't really think Theron makes a play for the win. Not over Renee or ScarJo or even Erivo. But she seems like a certain bet for a nod.
It's Robbie, who's young and hitting her stride and has a strong year backing her up that I think seems much more likely to pull off a win. Especially if she has a big, meaty role with lots of screentime (and sympathetic character) when Dern is relatively limited in Marriage Story.
The funny thing is that Renee and Charlize won Oscars the same year. This time they may be going neck to neck .
Although I think Renee has the edge just because she’s playing Judy Garland, remember the Imitation Game , sometimes they play campaigns for icons/heroes as rewarding-the movie is rewarding the subject and it ended up winning screenplay.
The new trailer dropped: Theron nails Kelly's voice.
Kidman may occupy the least amount of screen time, but she's playing Gretchen. Oscar loves mimicry more than anything and doesn't mind double-dipping for supporting actress. A Robbie nomination won't stop a Kidman one.
Well, unfortunately for Nicole she's never been a good mimic.
I confess I have no idea what Roger Ailes looks like in real life, but in the trailer Lithgow looked to me like a 70s Dr Who monster, just a bit of face plastered onto a lump of make-up. Maybe it works in the movie, but I'm not sure I could look beyond the plasticine of it all to give him a vite.
BJT: I mean, it's not the WORST makeup job I've seen for a performance in Oscar contention. Remember Johnny Depp in Black Mass? That was way worse than this.
Sometimes i think Kidman makes movies as an excuse to go the Oscars.
@markgordonuk LOL
/3rtful, nothing is inevitable. - Glenda Veronica ("Glenn") Close
The trailer for Bombshell isn't nearly as compelling as the teaser, but each of the triumvirate (in our hearts/minds) appears to be in fine form. (Comparisons to Vice do give me pause though.)
Anyone sick of this recent wave of dude-bro directors (Todd Phillips, Peter Farrelly, Jay Roach, etc.) seemingly desperate to make good after decades of churning out schlock? Game Change aside, Roach does not inspire confidence (although his being married to Susanna Hoffs is cool and unexpected, so I'll give him that).
Aren't you all tired of oscars for playing real people?
I think box office is going to be a rude awakening for some of these wannabe contenders. Some of the release dates are nonsensical. Who wants to go see Bombshell over Christmas? Who wants to see Harriet on Halloween weekend?
Not to mention the competition! It's not like Bombshell, Little Women and Cats are *all* gonna do well against a Star Wars movie. Something's gonna do poorly...very poorly. Why not Bombshell?
Thanksgiving isn't too crowded...perfect opening for Queen and Slim.
markgordonuk It's for not being home. Why not? Men do this all time.
The Best Actress race has been fully nourished by Scarlett Johansson in Marriage Story, but I guess they have to nominate four others.
This just further reiterates my whole "if Nicole Kidman is in a bad wig, the movie becomes a must-see" thing. Because, sis, that wig is AWFUL. And, to be honest, I'm loving it.
Of topic but .... “Glenda Veronica” .....apart from an unsupported claim on wikpedia I have never seen that referenced anywhere and I have been following close for 30 years. Until I see some proof I’m calling it internet bullshit.
I WANT AND DEMAND CHARLIZE FOR THE WIN!!!!!!
Should had being nominated for
Young Adult
Mad Max: Fury Road
Tully
my girl deserves the recognition she has stablished !!!
Sorry, Renee. Is Charlize for the win!
Or ScarJo!!
by the way, I think if ScarJo is nominated twice, she will be the front runner for Jojo Rabbit! I loved the last trailer, by the way
It saddens me a weirdo can snatch my handle and do a piss poor imitation of me purely for the annoyance.
Funny that Charlize and Renée won the same year while ScarJo had two acclaimed performances. She won’t miss a nomination this year. And may in fact be double nominated.
LOL no one cares about your handle. Renee seems like Charlize's mother, but I think the Academy will go for the room temperature Velveeta of Judy.
Winsey -- i know I am!!!
I still think this race is Scarlett's to lose. Backing her is the Netflix machine and the right narrative (former ingenue turned blockbuster regular and now returning to prestige fare). Plus, starring in two Best Picture possibilities won't hurt. It's her time.
She just needs to tone down the Woody Allen comments. Also, her PR team better get Disney to release that Black Widow trailer soon to put her back into the conversation.
Wow, the trailer looks v promising!!!... But fr I see Kidman looks more like a co-lead w Theron, n she is quite good in the trailer. If she's going Supp, metink she'll get in...
I tink Robbie has a betta shot w OUATIH. The academy loves a good mimicry n her character here is a fictionalized one.
It's so exciting to see Theron back in the race!! She might not win agst the current Renee-Scarjo deadlock but a nom is long o/due n this will b her welcome back ticket!! 😁
Is three artful schizophrenic, because all his comments are in character and then he randomly fights himself as an imposter? For more attention?
I liked Suzanne's comment comparing the current Best Actress race to the 2002 Best Actor race. The frontrunners were Nicholson and Day Lewis but Brody ended up winning for a beloved film. I can see the same trajectory happening for ScarJo.
F*ck that bitch!
So many people seemingly poo-pooing Nicole for being in a movie that from all suggestions is very good? Sounds about right.
@Docker, I'm with you about a possible Johansson win. Zellweger might be great in JUDY but I see her as the sole Oscar nom of the movie "à la Glenn Close in THE WIFE" - plus she an Oscar winner already with no relevant projects in the last 14 years I would say. Theron looks amazing, her post-Oscar win career is solid and people will enjoy the movie for sure, but she raised the bar for herself when she won for MONSTER. Johansson makes sense because of the rave reviews for MARRIAGE STORY and the factors you mentioned. But I'm sure these 3 are the front-runners at the moment
Just another thing: I won't say Best Supporting Actress 2019 race is weak anymore. Dern, Zhou (my fav), Johansson (JOJO), JLo, Benning, Smith (DOWNTON), MacKenzie, Taylor Russell (breakthrough in WAVES), Emma Thompson (? Supporting?), now entering the race Kidman & Robbie (BOMBSHELL) and possibly Pugh, Scanlen & Streep (LITTLE WOMEN) and Bates & Wilde (RICHARD JEWELL)... It's not that strong, but it's getting stronger and stronger
I would be thrilled to see Renee Zellweger win a second Oscar for Judy. Love her, love the performance to pieces.
That said, I haven't seen Marriage Story. And I'd be just as happy to watch Scarlett win a long-overdue Oscar. And I have no doubt the film will be right up my alley. If she's better than Renee then I'll call it like I see it.
I do have doubts about Bombshell, but I'd also love to watch Charlize win Oscar number two.
So I see it as a win-win-win year. All three of those outcomes excite me. And what fun if it's a close race!