She Said (2022) (Collector’s Edition) [Blu-Ray]

Director: Maria Schrader

Cast: Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan, Patricia Clarkson

Release Date: January 10, 2023

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Film Rating: 7/10
Disc Rating: 6.5/10

Synopsis:

Based on the bombshell New York Times investigation, SHE SAID follows the remarkable true story of how reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor went from underdogs to inspirations by shattering the silence surrounding sexual assault in Hollywood. Determined to expose the truth many fear to tell, Megan and Jodi’s partnership shakes up the system, empowering courageous women to retake their strength through stories of survival in this extraordinary film from Emmy®-winning director Maria Schrader (“Unorthodox”; I’m Your Man), featuring captivating performances by two-time Academy Award^® nominee Carey Mulligan (Promising Young Woman, An Education) and Zoe Kazan (The Big Sick, The Plot Against America), with Mulligan’s performance receiving a Golden Globe^® nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Please Note: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment provided me with a free copy of the Blu-ray I reviewed in this Post. The opinions I share are my own.

Based on the New York Times investigation that kicked off a movement resulting in changes across the world, ‘She Said’ tells the story of how reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor dared to uncover the truth behind decades of scandals plaguing Hollywood and the shocking truth that they were determined to reveal to the world. The film follows the early days of the article as a concept through the events and investigations that these two women and their colleagues explored and finally revealed the world, regardless of the intimidation they faced along the way and the potential effect it might have on one of the more powerful industries in the country.

Directed by Maria Schrader (I’m Your Man) from a screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Ida) which was based on the New York Times Investigation by Jodi Kantor, Megan Twohey and Rebecca Corbett and the book ‘She Said’ by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, Schrader does a solid job at the helm of the ‘She Said’ film and even with a somewhat odd and less cinematic approach keeps the tale powerful and intriguing throughout. The film’s cast includes Carey Mulligan (Inside Llewyn Davis), Zoe Kazan (The Big Sick), Patricia Clarkson (TV’s Sharp Objects), Andre Braugher (TV’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Jennifer Ehle (Saint Maud), Samantha Morton (The Whale) and Ashley Judd (Heat), with the majority each offering fitting and capable performances at the very least in their respective roles, especially leads Mulligan and Kasan who are both quite outstanding.

‘She Said’ offers an intriguing and quite fascinating look at the journey of New York Times journalists Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor and the course of their bombshell investigation into systemic sexism and corruption within Hollywood, primarily focusing on the article detailing Harvey Weinstein’s actions and their quest to find those who had suffered and might be willing to tell the truth for the larger good, even with fear and the threat of losing their careers looming; a story that sparked an uproar and was largely responsible for beginning the #MeToo movement.

The film itself has a lot going for it and many positive elements in its favor, but its approach to the material leaves something to be desired and never manages to find a fitting pace or smooth progression throughout. While most films (even those based on true stories and articles) tend to find a cinematic way to tell the story and keep viewers engaged, ‘She Said’ seems a little jumbled for the majority of its duration and almost works more like a montage of phone calls and interviews instead of building a more viewer-friendly form of presentation with layers unfolding along the way. Yet, even with its odd style and approach, it can’t be denied that the content within is quite fascinating and lead stars Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan contribute impressive performances that do a lot to help this one work better than it otherwise might. It certainly isn’t a perfect film, but it’s a powerful tale with some great performances backing it up that will still be well worth checking out for many.

Overall, ‘She Said’ is a fascinating and (at least largely) true tale that isn’t presented in the way most would consider to be a conventional film and instead struggles to find a balanced pace for the tale. Even so it does shine throughout thanks to its engaging subject matter and a largely stellar cast at its forefront. ‘She Said’ is recommended for anyone that’s already interested in the story of these two women and the shocking truths that they helped uncover and reveal to the world. If you’re already intrigued by the film or a fan of any/all of the key cast, then it will probably be worth the time and price of a rental to give a chance. Paid Peacock subscribers are also able to stream the film at no additional cost as of the time of this writing.

VIDEO:

The Blu-ray release of ‘She Said’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation with the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks rather great as a whole and provides a sharp, well detailed and largely problem-free presentation from start to finish. It holds up well throughout even during the few more populated or darkly lit moments and keeps everything within from facial and clothing details down to backgrounds both indoors and out looking sharp and clean without any unexpected problems arising along the way. Overall, this is a solid high definition video presentation that shouldn’t elicit any complaints from first time viewers or fans.

AUDIO:

The Blu-ray release features a 5.1 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. This multichannel soundtrack does its job well and offers a clean, sharp and fully capable audio presentation throughout that unsurprisingly doesn’t offer a great deal of immersive activity and heavy surround content due to the film’s largely contained scenes and dialogue based content. All of the dialogue remains clean, sharp and absent of any problems and the film occasionally utilizes all five available channels along the way when appropriate in order to send some bits of dialogue, music or nature content throughout the various speakers, along with a few more noticeable moments such as a car speeding past on the street around the 1:26:30 mark in the film. Overall, this is a fully capable, yet not overly exciting 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack that delivers in every way required of it.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Blu-ray release of ‘She Said’ may be stylized as a Collector’s Edition, but don’t expect a great deal of bonus material from this one. It includes the Behind the Scenes Featurette ‘Breaking the Story’ (running approximately 7 minutes in length) which explores the process of bringing the true story to life and includes interviews/comments with the cast and crew as well as the real life individuals, along with behind the scenes footage and more. The film’s ‘Theatrical Trailer’ (running approximately 2 minutes) is also included.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They will additionally suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

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Film Rating: 7/10
Disc Rating: 6.5/10

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‘She Said’ is Now Available to Own on Blu-ray, DVD & Digital from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

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