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7.1/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Bombshell remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies that move at 100 miles per hour and involve people screaming over each other, you'll love Bombshell. It’s definitely not for those who want a quiet, subtle drama. If you prefer the slow-burn pacing of The Dancer and the King, you might find this one exhausting.
Jean Harlow is playing a version of a starlet, and honestly, I don’t think anyone else could have pulled it off. She’s got this frantic energy that feels like she’s about to snap at any second. And usually, she does.
The whole movie feels like a headache you actually enjoy. It’s loud. It’s crowded. There are always ten people in the room trying to get something from Lola, and you can feel her skin crawling.
The writing is sharp, but sometimes it’s too sharp. It’s like the dialogue is trying to trip you up just to see if you’re paying attention. At one point, the movie just stops being a comedy and gets a little bit mean, which was a surprise.
It’s not as polished as a modern blockbuster, but that’s the charm. It feels like a lived-in mess. Some of the supporting characters are just there to fill space, like they wandered off the set of Ruling Passions and ended up here by accident.
Is it a perfect movie? No. It falls apart in the final act when it tries to wrap everything up with a bow. But watching Harlow navigate the nonsense? That’s the good stuff. 🎬