Bombshell | 2019 | R | – 5.4.9

Why is “Bombshell” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “sexual material and language throughout.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a couple of implied sex scenes between a husband and his wife, between two women, many references to sexual assault and harassment in the workplace and descriptions of the types of harassment that occurred over many years, and many women wear low-cut and tight-fitting dresses throughout the movie that reveal cleavage and legs to the mid-thighs; many arguments in a work environment, threats of violence, and descriptions of a toxic work environment; and at least 40 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.”

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Based on actual events: When Fox News anchor Gretchen Carlson (Nicole Kidman) initiated a lawsuit against Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) for harassment, the truth about the environment at the network under his watch was devastating and invited more women to come forward and tell their stories of discrimination and sexual assault and harassment. Also with Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie, Allison Janney, Malcolm McDowell, Kate McKinnon and Connie Britton. Directed by Jay Roach. [Running Time: 1:48]

Bombshell SEX/NUDITY 5

 – A woman sits in bed as she fastens her bra (we see cleavage and bare abdomen) and another woman joins her in bed (she is clothed) and it is implied that they had sex as they talk about being gay; they then lie together under covers and one woman says, “I’m not a lesbian.” A husband and his wife lie in bed (it is implied to be after sex) and talk (we see the man’s bare chest and abdomen and see that he is wearing boxers when he gets out of bed). A man grabs a woman as she leaves his office and tries to kiss her three times.
► A man asks a woman to stand up and spin around for him in his office during an interview and the woman tentatively agrees; he asks her to lift her skirt up so that he can see her legs and she does, eventually lifting the hem up to reveal the crotch of her underwear as she becomes tearful and the man breathes heavily as he watches her; the man then tells her, “You have a great body.” A man tells women interviewing for jobs to stand and “give me a twirl” in a few scenes and he watches them as they stand and turn around. A man interviews a woman for a job and he closes the blinds, moves closer to her and touches her knee during their conversation. We see a photograph of a man massaging a woman’s shoulders and seemingly kissing her neck or cheek. A woman does a TV show without wearing any makeup as a show of strength. A man yells and runs into a control room calling for a “wider shot” of a woman onscreen so that he can see her legs and that this is why he hired her.
► A man talks to a woman about sexy bras and tells her that he’d love to see her in those. Several women are shown describing the details of how men sexually harassed or assaulted them and one woman says that she was 16 years old when it happened to her. A woman describes that while a man was forcing her to perform oral sex on him, he said, “Good girl,” “Be a good soldier,” and “Earn your place.” A man offers a woman a job and then explains about how he feels about her and that in order to get the job, he would need to see the inside of her hotel room; when she declines to do that, she is fired and we see her carrying her belongings out of her office. A woman cries and says that she gave into a man when he was harassing her. A woman talks about a man calling his female producer and masturbating using a vibrator while on the phone. It is reported that a man said that he would like to see a woman on her knees. A woman talks about hearing that a man would ask women employed by him to give him oral sex regularly and that he would say, “To get ahead you have to give a little head.” A man says, “You know the whole country is talking about your period.” A woman says that men in her office told her that she was “Sexy, but too much work.” A man asks a woman, “Did you ever make yourself sexually available?” A man looks at another man on a TV screen and makes a suggestive comment about his lips. We hear about a case where a woman accused her husband of raping her. A woman reads a statement from a man that states, “You cannot rape your wife.” Men ogle and make comments about women’s clothing in several scenes. A man remarks about a woman wearing pants to work. A man talks about a woman “bleeding from… you know.” Men talk to a woman on a TV show about her being beautiful and references are made to men being dominant. A woman says that a man told her, “Learn how to get along with the boys.” A woman complains about society “oversexualizing women.” A woman walks past a man and he looks back at her and says, “We need to get you into a shorter dress.”
► Women wear low-cut dresses that reveal cleavage in many scenes throughout the movie. Women wear short skirts that reveal legs to the mid thighs in many scenes throughout the movie. There are conversations about women not being allowed to wear pants in an office. We see photographs of a woman wearing a mini-dress with a strap off the shoulder that reveals cleavage, and bare legs to the upper thighs. Women wear tight-fitting and low cut dresses that reveal cleavage and the outline of their hips, buttocks and legs in many scenes. Several women are shown in a dressing room putting on slimming undergarments and padding their bras (cleavage, bare abdomens and legs are seen).

Bombshell VIOLENCE/GORE 4

 – Several women are shown describing the details of how men sexually harassed or assaulted them and one woman says that she was 16 years old when it happened to her.
► A man yells at his staff and says, “If I go, you go.” A man makes a remark to a woman about a presidential candidate and the woman’s husband threatens to beat him “to a pulp.” A man yells at a woman over the phone and hangs up on her. A man yells in several scenes about news broadcasts and employees. We hear about a case where a woman accused her husband of raping her. A woman reads a statement from a man that states, “You cannot rape your wife.” A woman receives death threats and other threatening mail after she poses a question to a presidential candidate about hating women. A man claims that the Obama administration wanted to have the man killed. We see newspaper headlines about a man being sued for sexual harassment. A man yells for a woman to find “dirt” on women accusing him of sexual harassment. A woman in a grocery store tells a woman, “I can’t stand your show.” A husband and his wife argue about whether she absolved a man for harassing her. A woman says, “I have a big mouth” in a couple of scenes. A woman tells another woman that she is leaving her show for a promotion and they argue briefly. A man describes himself as “discreet but unforgiving.” A woman yells and throws papers on the floor of an office in frustration. A man runs into a newsroom in a panic calling for the vents to be closed because someone in the floor above them received a package containing Anthrax (it was not true). A woman confronts another woman for not coming forward about sexual harassment earlier to save other women from the same fate. A man goads a woman by saying, “I don’t know if women can be good interviewers,” and “I don’t know if they have that kind of drive.” After a woman refuses to let a man kiss her, he asks her, “When’s your contract up?” as a threat. We hear that inappropriate conversations between a man and a woman were recorded. People discuss that people are skeptical of harassment claims. A woman talks about not wanting to be defined by having been sexually harassed. References are made to the Willie Horton negative ads used during the 1988 presidential campaign. A woman is yelled at when she puts a picture of the wrong musician on screen during a news story and she exclaims, “I don’t know secular music.” A woman says that an office smells like mold. There are many conversations about a man’s electability. People talk about a man not having a “politician’s filter.” After being very sick a man insinuates that someone poisoned her (there is no evidence of this given). We hear that as a child a man’s parents sent him away to school, got a divorce and moved away without telling him and he returned to his home to find another family living there. A man talks about a woman “bleeding from… you know.” A man leaves a room after yelling at woman and says under his breath, “Get back in the kitchen.” A man says that a woman’s nostrils enlarge when she is angry. A woman mentions a competitor’s radio talk show and many people in the room go silent and shake their heads to quiet her. A woman says, “I thrive in toxic environments.” A woman says, “One day I’m gonna be free.” A woman on a news show talks about Santa being white. A woman says that her grandfather would say that Santa is a communist. A woman does a news program about gun violence and calls for an assault weapons ban. A woman says of having filed a lawsuit against a man, “I jumped off a cliff.” A woman says that her mother wants to get a job where she can carry a gun. We hear the voices of women naming the man that harassed them at a TV network. A woman talks about needing to stand up for the rights of women above profit.
► Protestors carry signs outside Trump Tower while chanting, “No Trump, No KKK.” A man sits in his car while security guards search outside this home and a dog patrols the area (due to fear of some kind of attack). A woman is startled when her husband and three children jump out from behind a mirror in a dressing room.
► A woman runs out of a room during a meeting and we see her legs under a bathroom stall as we hear her retching (we hears splattering and flushing and do not see goo). A woman takes a pill (it’s not clear what it is) and vomits it up (we do not see goo).

Bombshell LANGUAGE 9

 – About 40 F-words, 17 sexual references, 20 scatological terms, 9 anatomical terms, 11 mild obscenities, name-calling (big mouth, feminist, liberal, morons, idiots, crazy, fat pigs, slobs, bimbo, harsh, perpetual outrage machine, skirt, man hater, tough, lazy minorities, Jabba the Hutt, exhibitionist, sick, fake news, Jesus hating, weird, nasty, solicitous, Anchor Barbie, creepy, liar, paranoid, pervert, poster girl for sexual harassment, absurd, political football, salty, controlling, vindictive, obnoxious, toxic, target, victim, good girl, be a good soldier, deplorable, babe with no geezer, weak, snowflake), exclamations (shut-up, oh my gosh, what, yes, relax, wow), 11 religious profanities (GD), 20 religious exclamations (e.g. God, Jesus, Christ, Oh God, Oh My God, Jesus [F-word deleted] Christ, Holy [scatological term deleted]). | profanity glossary |

Bombshell SUBSTANCE USE

 – A woman takes an unidentified pill (it’s not clear what it is), and IV bags are shown attached to tubes in a man’s arm (it’s not clear what they are). A man and a woman drink wine, a man and woman drink in a bar, two women drink wine in a bar and say that they are drunk, and a bottle of wine is shown on a restaurant table where a man is seated.

Bombshell DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Sexual harassment, sexual assault, rape, toxic work environment, sexism, fake news channels, propaganda, Fox News, Rupert Murdoch, Roger Ailes, Megan Kelly, Gretchen Carlson, Donald Trump, Bill O’Reilly, war on women, racist political ads, ambition, nepotism, conservative establishment, mean tweets, bullying, evangelical establishment, abandonment, traitor, competition, credibility, power dynamic, confidentiality, loyalty, television broadcast industry, authenticity, objectification of women, conspiracy theories, boys will be boys mentality, law vs. PR.

Bombshell MESSAGE

 – When bad things happen, it’s better to speak out to keep them from continuing to happen.