She Said tells the true story of how the New York Times investigated and ran an article about human garbage Harvey Weinstein. It follows the lead reporters as they try to interview woman after frightened woman about their experiences working at Miramax in the ’90s. It tells an important story and proves that Hollywood can point the camera at its own sins, especially after tackling Bombshell (the very good film about the sexual harassment at Fox News) a few years earlier.

The film often works as a great example of talented people doing their job well. They are stymied at every turn and its a thrill to see them crack an interview and gather info either inferred or uncovered. It generates frustration at the historical inaction and the ongoing fear / NDA gags that continue to silence Weinstein’s victims. We root for these reporters and fume at the stonewalling.

The only problem the film ultimately has is that it lacks a certain crackling energy in the final act when the story is being finalized. All those dotted i’s and crossed t’s are important and it’s nice to see the work being done… but it’s not as satisfying as a more Hollywood interpretation could have been. Which is good on them for accuracy… but I was hoping that energy would flow out of the screen and I think it just didn’t. It was alright, but it felt more like a finality than a victory. But, then again, how much of a victory was it really?

Harvey Weinstein’s story was always funny to me. I don’t think there was ever a time where the dirt bag wasn’t considered scum… it was an ongoing joke. But it took decades for his awfulness to catch up to him which is an indictment against society as a whole, not just one reprobate. But happily that reprobate is in prison now.

I liked this film quite a bit and rolled a tear at a certain scene between one of the reporters and her daughter over an international call. That takes skill and the film exudes that “people at the top of their game” feeling… until it slows down a little at the end. Still a very good film and magnifying lens on a problem.

Score: 87