The film has a sharp panel of experts and celebs. Women in Media & News director Jennifer Pozner puts the critical issue best: "The fact that media are so derogatory to the most powerful women in the country... what does it say about the media's ability to take any woman in America seriously?" The clips speak for themselves: Michelle Malkin, Bill O'Reilly, and even Greta Van Susteren exemplify the problem on a regular basis, subjecting powerful women to insult and petty scrutiny. You could make this entire movie about harangues lobbed at Hillary Clinton. Or Sarah Palin, I suppose.
I'm not sold on how Miss Representation roundly refers to primetime newsmagazines and movies like Mean Girls as "the media" without explaining the difference between journalistic obligation and satirical teen comedies, but perhaps that discussion begins in the film. Do you think they'll also explain the inclusion of a clip from the failed Geena Davis presidential drama Commander in Chief? Because that show didn't propel the legacy of Geraldine Ferraro anywhere, and I don't care who won a Golden Globe for it. So far, Miss Representation looks like a helpful, if textbook documentary about an evergreen problem. The OWN acquisition Becoming Chaz seems more eye-opening, but this is nonetheless a laudable fit for the network's brand.
VERDICT: Girl, you know it's true.