She Said (2022)

Movie Info

Ashley Judd gets a good “I told you so” moment

When accusations begin to surface about Miramax movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, New York Times reporters Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) seek to nail down and confirm the story with their editors Dean Baquet (Andre Braugher) and Rebecca Corbett (Patricia Clarkson).  Everyone seems to know the secret of Weinstein, but no one is talking…and with powerful attorney behind him, Weinstein has the power to silence his critics.

Directed by Maria Schrader, She Said is a historic drama.  The film chronicles the investigation of the New York Times into Harvey Weinstein which was initially published on October 5, 2017 and based on Kantor and Twohey’s 2019 account of the reporting.  The film was released at New York Film Festival and received positive reviews.

It always strange to watch “historic” films that have just happened.  Though a few years have passed, the events still feel fresh and current.  With cases taking years…much like the film…they can’t always wait for a resolute moment to “publish”.

The most compelling scene in the movie is this recording and this shot

The movie is mostly about the investigation and investigators.  The “events” that preceded the investigation thankfully aren’t portrayed, and it does incorporate real events when possible.  While I commends the investigation and the investigators, it doesn’t always make for compelling storytelling.  There is a lot of talk of danger and threats, but it doesn’t seem like the stakes are high enough.  That doesn’t mean drama needs to be made for the movie but it feels like it could be elevated.

The cast is good, but it is hard to get a real vibe for the two leads.  Zoe Kazan is much more accessible as the youthful and sometimes inexperienced go reporter while Carey Mulligan as the veteran doesn’t get to flex as much.  Andre Braugher and Patricia Clarkson are underused as the editors and not many of the victims really get much of a voice.  It is nice to have Ashley Judd take a role since she had an important part in the real story.

“Go to print” scenes are less interesting in the age of computers and 24-7 news

I always like newsroom movies and the interior of the New York Times is a good place to go.  It is also interesting to see how the newsroom has developed when compared to movies like All the President’s Men and others like that…this is the first film to use the real offices.  There are the normal “go to press” scenes, but the modern “put it on the web” scenes aren’t generally as powerful.  One of the best scenes in the movie is the simplest…you hear Weinstein convincing and bullying a woman into having sex with him.  It just involves a continuous shot of a hotel hall and the dialogue.  Simple sometimes is better (and the scene feels like a documentary at this point).

She Said was inevitable with the size, scope, and subject of the story, plus it also makes sense with the success of Spotlight.  It could be used as both an admission of guilt by people that looked the other way and a way to rise above it…but it doesn’t quite reach either.   With the #MeToo movement encompassing so much, She Said doesn’t feel big enough.  I wish they had waited a bit longer before trying to take it on.