She Said Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

She Said Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 12, 2023

She Said rips its narrative out of today's hottest headlines but can't build a film as compelling as the real-life story on which it is based. That's a shame, because there's a rich history of real and fictional newsroom movies and obviously plenty of opportunity for tight characterization and gripping drama, neither of which She Said offers in any significant volume. The subject is the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct scandal and the beginnings of the "#MeToo" movement. The film, from German Director Maria Schrader and Screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz, builds the story of how the movement emerged and exploded but struggles to present a compelling portrait of events, favoring more of a straightforward and monotonous retelling of a factfinding mission rather than build a film with a soul and a compelling plot.

Official synopsis: Based on the bombshell New York Times investigation, She Said follows the remarkable true story of how reporters Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan) 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.

She Said tells an important story, but it tells it without much feel for keen cinema construction or compelling forward movement. The film is soulless not because its subject matter doesn't lend itself to emotional depth, narrative excellence, and resounding resonance but because it never satisfies as cinema. It's a reconstruction of events that struggles to find flow despite basic narrative cohesion and purposeful story propelling. The film is slow and methodical, which perhaps defines the journalistic process and the slow reveal of information, but as cinema it cannot find that cohesion that blends together the slog of journalistic work with high yield dramatic reward and pacing. These are qualities and characteristics that propelled 2015's similarly grounded Spotlight to Oscar night successes, but She Said never finds that same cinema gusto to back up its real-world story of interest.

On the plus side, the film features a couple of sturdy performances from Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan, though both lacking excellence due to the stale and flat script. Neither can flourish under the constraints but do give a sincere effort to a movie that, on paper, has all the makings of another first-rate capture of critical 21st journalistic work. Unfortunately, the film simply pushes them from one scene to the next in a repetitive string of information gathering with no opportunity for depth and growth along the way. The film actually works well in its opening minutes as Twohey finds herself under attack after her work on the allegations against then-candidate Donald Trump, but from there it's a paint-by-numbers affair with little opportunity for rich character fashioning or world building beyond the step-by-step work of building the case against Harvey Weinstein.

She Said Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The 1080p Blu-ray picture presentation is quite nice. The image is very efficient, revealing no serious encode issues. Source noise is kept to a minimum, though there are times when it's visible even in well-lit exteriors. The picture is sharp and continuously so, corner to corner and capturing the expressive details both in city streets and within the Times offices. Viewers will enjoy the lifelike precision and tactile definition on display. The excellence extends to skin and clothing, too, which are captured with excellent definition and attention to fine point intimate detail. The picture's overall clarity excels, and the film looks great on a big screen. Colors are robust and expressive. There is no tinkering or tampering with the color temperature or contrast. Everything is dialed into a very straightforward, balanced presentation which underlines the film's straightforward narrative drive. Black levels are solid, whites are crisp, and skin tones appear healthy and natural. This is a very good image from Universal, albeit one that doesn't perform beyond expectations in 2023.

She Said Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

She Said is not a film for dynamic audio engagement, but Universal's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack delivers a suitably clear and detailed listen of the rather basic elements at work here. The track is at its best delivering world atmosphere. Listen to a lunchroom scene at the 11-minute mark where the light din gently immerses the listener into the location for a delightful little bit of transparent and authentic environmental recreation. Various exteriors offer similarly defined and engaging sound characteristics, whether busier locales on city streets or gentle and subtle support during otherwise quiet outdoor conversations between characters. Musical detail is fruitful for width and clarity. While the subwoofer does not work overtime, there's a nice little feel for accurate depth to score. Likewise, the surrounds clock in with satisfying little bits of support to deliver a pleasing presentation. Dialogue drives the film, and it is presented with flawless delivery for center placement and detail. The sound design offers no "wow" moments, but listeners should be satisfied with what is a pleasing and stable sound experience.

She Said Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of She Said includes a featurette and a trailer. A DVD copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase. This release ships with an embossed slipcover.

• Breaking the Story (1080p, 6:43): The real journalists who are depicted in the film discuss their journalism work and the story's transition to film.
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:32).

She Said Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

She Said is a frustrating experience. On one hand, the film covers a critical cultural dynamic that has shaped the social narrative for several years now, but on the other hand it does so in a way that lacks cinema flair and flavor. The film cannot match the cinema excellence of various of its newsroom predecessors, such as The Paper and Spotlight, even if it does tell a compelling story on the surface. Universal's Blu-ray delivers excellent video and audio but supplements are limited to a brief featurette and a trailer. Worth a look.