She Said (Mini-Review)

She Said is based on the book of the same name by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey. In 2017, Jodi Kantor received a tip that Rose McGowan was sexually assaulted by Harvey Weinstein. With the help of fellow reporter Megan Twohey, Jodi works to expose Weinstein for the monster he is. She Said was released in 2022. It was directed by Maria Schrader. It stars Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson, and Andre Braugher.

As I review movies, I like to see new movies. Even if said movies don't seem appealing. This due to multiple reasons. The first is that since I have an AMC Stubs account I want to get as much out of it as I can. Then there's the fact that some weeks my reviews are the only things I'm able to get out. There are rules I've set up so I have the option not to see certain movies. This is all to say if I didn't run a blog, I would've stayed away from seeing She Said. This because of the fact the trailers seemed to promote this movie as a celebration of the #MeToo movement. When the sad reality is that the movement started strong but eventually died down with little to no impact.

The best thing about this movie was the reporting aspect. She Said is all about the article by the New York Times that broke the story about Harvey Weinstein. So its slow and methodical nature makes it a good journalism movie. If you are looking at becoming a journalist, this is a good movie to watch. That's the only reason I would recommend watching this movie.

I didn't know much about the true story before watching this movie. Luckily IMDB helped me out with this as some of the trivia mentions the differences between the movie and real life. Such as Glenn Thrush, the New York Times' White House correspondent, being accused of sexual harassment. Instead of being fired when other companies were doing a decent job at cracking down, Thrush wasn't fired. He isn't shown in the film. Then there is the fact Sharon Waxman accused the New York Times of knowing the truth about Harvey Weinstein for years. She also doesn't appear in the movie.

It's almost like the movie is doing its best to paint the New York Times as a moral center when the truth is much more complicated. I can understand that in storytelling things are easier if there's a clear villain and hero. This makes it easier for readers, audiences, ect. to know who to root for. But I think painting the New York Times as morally grey would help to remind audiences of how far reaching covering up sexual assaults goes. This movie is set in our reality or else I wouldn't be so adamant in this mindset.

Brad Pitt is one of the Executive Producers which makes me uneasy about recommending this film. The shortened story is that he was aware of what crimes Weinstein was up to and still chose to work with the rapist. So having a movie dedicated to the #MeToo movement with Pitt attached is...I hate to throw around the word problematic but that's what it is.

I would recommend She Said to those looking to get into journalism.