In an America struggling in a very public way these days with how women are depicted and treated, and the election of the first female President of the United States a very real possibility, the October 28 debut of Good Girls Revolt on Amazon has timeliness written all over it — both in a good and not-so-good way. But it’s definitely worth watching.
Good Girls Revolt is based on former Newsweek editor Lynn Povich’s 2012 book about a 1970 sexual discrimination class-action lawsuit against the weekly newsmagazine, in which almost 50 women successfully fought for the right to write. Editor is a term worth considering here, as the 10-episode first season could certainly do with more of one and a lot more focus.
As I say in my video review above, the series executive produced by Dana Calvo, Lynda Obst and Darlene Hunt often gets tangled in its own best intentions and multi-directional storylines. And that’s really a shame because at its core this look at the fictional News Of The World magazine and the female researchers who do most of the reporting but aren’t allowed to be reporters is a strong workplace tale. It also shines a spotlight on a time and place that many women may not think is so far off, and displays how change comes in America – and its not through good intentions or sitting there quietly.
The tenacious performances by Genevieve Angelson, Anna Camp and Erin Darke as a trio of very different women who come to see the injustice to which they are being subjected, and who use the law of the land to challenge that discrimination, are what fuel the best of Good Girls Revolt. In that sense, and with such varied leads, it is also fitting that the now-deceased Nora Ephron, played by Grace Gummer, is a character here too. Fitting because that striving for justice in the series is the same propellant found in the Ephron-written 1983 movie Silkwood, which also was based on real events and which earned her an Oscar nomination.
Take a look at my video review for more of my take on the series and why, despite its flaws, it is so pertinent today. Tell us what you think and whether you’ll be watching this weekend.
