She Said (2022)

By: Mike Ward on Sunday, January 01

R Running Time: 129 mins

SHOULD I SEE IT?

YES

One of the better acted films of the year, She Said is gripping, compelling, and every bit as good as recent investigative films which have earned praise and awards in recent years.
Handles the Harvey Weinstein scandal and situation about as delicately as it can, not flinching from the details and allegations, but dignifying the victims with grace, respect, and compassion.
Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan are a dynamic pairing, authentic and believable in their roles as reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey

NO

This is definitely a movie that can trigger victims of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment. Proceed with caution.
By falling in line as an newsroom/journalist movie, the film sometimes struggles to differentiate focus between the trauma the victims endure, and have to relive in telling their stories, and the thrill which comes in the pursuit of the story.
For all the film reveals, it definitely could have gone further and deeper, been more revelatory. Some will feel that She Said ultimately pulls its punches.

OUR REVIEW

If for nothing else, we should all pause and give thanks that She Said, a sobering, shattering portrait of how two female New York Times reporters brought the Harvey Weinstein scandal to light, even exists. Though the movie rights were optioned in 2018, prior to Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey’s book of the same name being published in 2019, the road to the big screen simply could not have been easy. Though most in and around Weinstein have condemned his deplorable and abhorrent actions, totaling more than 80 women who have come forward alleging victimization in his time spent as a Hollywood producer and mogul, many have also shared that the systemic structures that allow a Weinstein to perpetuate such behavior largely remains.

For director Maria Schrader (“Unorthodox”) and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz (“Small Axe”), the approach they have taken in telling the story is similar to films like recent Best Picture winner Spotlight, and the definitive investigative procedural All the President’s Men. Here, we head straight into the newsroom, witness the interviews, and join the investigation that Kantor (Zoe Kazan) and Twohey (Carey Mulligan) immerse themselves into.

Over the course of two hours, the scope and breadth of Weinstein’s behavior is made clear. As we begin She Said however, Twohey’s reporting of a staggering amount of sexual abuse and assault allegations against then-candidate and eventual president Donald Trump has been received as jaw-dropping. Twohey’s work commanded the public narrative, largely because she was able to secure testimony on the record. Following Trump’s victory in the November 2016 presidential election, and the eventual dismissal of television news talker Bill O’Reilly from Fox News for allegations of harassment, abuse and hush money payments, America found itself once again at something of a reckoning point on workplace harassment.

A call from actress Rose McGowan, Weinstein’s first public accuser, comes to Kantor and sets in motion the eventual unthreading of Weinstein’s cloak of non-disclosure agreements, fear, intimidation, and nod-and-wink secrecy among his friends and peers. When Kantor and Twohey combine together on the story, at the behest of editors Rebecca Corbett (Patricia Clarkson) and Dean Baquet (Andre Braugher), they are formidable, dogged, and persistent. They find empathy when sitting with, across, or on the phone with women cautiously stepping forward, but hold a firm resolve as to the purpose and necessity in bringing these stories to light.

Watching Kazan and Mulligan build chemistry together in these roles is exhilarating, all things considered. They become our guides, leading us through some very difficult interactions, reveals, and discoveries. Schrader moves the film at a brisk pace and we become swept up in the frenetic urgency that Kantor and Twohey operate in not only trying to stop Weinstein, but also out him to the world and keep him from adding more victims to the exhaustive list of women he has abused.

The overall performances are strong. Appearances from Ashley Judd (portraying herself), Samantha Morton, Jennifer Ehle and Angela Yeoh are deeply affecting and Lenkiewicz offers a screenplay that feels akin to a page-turner. With that said, in trying to be efficient, sometimes She Said fails to let key moments breathe and rushes to get to the next scene or plot point. There’s a lot to cover here, and I can only imagine the difficult choices that had to be made in the editing bay, trying to winnow this all down to its final cut.

She Said is going to be triggering for some viewers. Though it holds some things back, there are stories shared here which are unflinching, honest, and blunt in their honesty. The pain can feel inescapable, especially in scenes where Kantor and Twohey essentially “cold-call” prospective victims unannounced. Trust is an underlying theme constantly challenged and analyzed.

One complaint made about the film is that She Said rushed to the marketplace and essentially arrived too soon. I respectfully disagree. Even if Weinstein’s legal matters had not fully been resolved by the time the film reached theaters, Weinstein’s actions are not unique to him. Kantor and Twohey’s reporting led to the widespread #MeToo movement, and though there have been some stumbles with that organizational effort over the years, countless men have finally been held accountable for workplace violations and abusive behaviors.

Which then raises the question: were these men “canceled” or simply taken to task for their behavior? Depending on how you answer that question, She Said will likely be received by you accordingly.

CAST & CREW

Starring: Zoe Kazan, Carey Mulligan, Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher, Jennifer Ehle, Samantha Morton, Ashley Judd, Angela Yeoh, Zach Grenier, Tom Pelphrey, Peter Friedman, Molly Windsor, Lola Petticrew, Anastasia Barzee, Mike Houston, Gwyneth Paltrow, James Austin Johnson, Keilly McQuail

Director: Maria Schrader
Written by: Rebecca Lenkiewicz
Based on the book “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement” by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey and the New York Times investigation by Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey and Rebecca Corbett
Release Date: November 18, 2022
Universal Pictures

One of the better acted films of the year, She Said is gripping, compelling, and every bit as good as recent investigative films which have earned praise and awards in recent years.

Handles the Harvey Weinstein scandal and situation about as delicately as it can, not flinching from the details and allegations, but dignifying the victims with grace, respect, and compassion.

Zoe Kazan and Carey Mulligan are a dynamic pairing, authentic and believable in their roles as reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey

This is definitely a movie that can trigger victims of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment. Proceed with caution.

By falling in line as an newsroom/journalist movie, the film sometimes struggles to differentiate focus between the trauma the victims endure, and have to relive in telling their stories, and the thrill which comes in the pursuit of the story.

For all the film reveals, it definitely could have gone further and deeper, been more revelatory. Some will feel that She Said ultimately pulls its punches.