REVIEW: SHE SAID. #mehtoo.

When I first saw the trailer for director Maria Schrader's expose of the now-infamous Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse scandal, I immediately thought, "Looks like a mash-up of (2015's Best Picture winner) Spotlight and (2019's multi-nominated, borderline salacious, expose of sexual harassment @ Fox News) Bombshell." Suffice to say, I was correct in what I expected. Which is not to say that She Said is a bad film. It's a well-made movie about a consequential topic with solid performances all around, even boasting a few moments that are almost riveting.

The problem is it simply doesn't add anything new or compelling to the narrative or the drama associated with the systemic sexual abuse and misogyny that are so deeply rooted in our culture. Unlike Spotlight, which revealed details about and insights into the investigative process that exposed widespread sexual abuse against children in the Archdiocese of Boston, She Said provides little new information about NY Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, whose 2019 book of the same name chronicles how they broke the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment scandal that ultimately led to his arrest and conviction in 2020. As the end comments indicate, Weinstein is still under investigation in London and Los Angeles, and is currently serving a 23-year sentence for crimes committed in New York.

Jodi (Zoe Kazan) and Megan (Carey Mulligan) are both married with children, have supportive husbands (even though both are clearly, silently frustrated and perhaps even neglected by their workaholic wives' drive to nail Weinstein), and wrestle with the usual challenges of balancing work life and motherhood. Whether Twohey's suggested post-partem depression was a driving force in her cracking this story is hinted at, but never developed. Kantor's frequent separations from her two young daughters for work-related travel never goes beyond the superficial in depicting her guilt over not being a regular presence at home.

Still, under Schrader's tight direction and screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz's sharp dialogue, the story moves apace and retains a consistent level of energy and engagement. It's not a dull story, just not a particularly revolutionary one. Supporting performances from Patricia Clarkson, Samantha Morton, Andre Braugher, Jennifer Ehle and Ashley Judd (playing herself, as she was one of Weinstein's accusers), all add power and authenticity to the story's narrative, in spite of its now all-too-frequently seen focus on the difficulties of breaking through "the system" to get to the heart of an issue. We've seen this kind of investigative thriller before and better, with (arguably) director Alan J. Pakula's All the President's Men (1976) as the reigning contemporary gold standard for this type of cinematic expose.

Overall, I'd give She Said three-and-a-half stars out of five for its intentionality of purpose, affecting performances and absorbing plot. But I wouldn't go in expecting anything other than what you may have already read in the newspapers or seen on CNN regarding Weinstein's ongoing tribulations with women and the law.

Perhaps the most memorable moment in She Said is one that is unscripted. Near the film's end, a thoughtful Ashley Judd tells Kantor she's ready to go on the record and be identified as one of Weinstein's victims. Kantor's emotional response is juxtaposed w/a single shot of Judd sitting alone, her face backlit by a Tennessee sunset, poignant and evocative of the ordeal she has endured.

In that moment, we are all called to pause and think about the enduring acceptance of sexual abuse in this country and why we continue to entertain electing political candidates who, were it not for their money and associated power, would otherwise be spending lives behind bars. That in itself is cause for reflection.