Director and screenwriter Roxine Helberg premiered her feature debut, Cold Copy, at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. Tracee Ellis Ross stars as Diane Heger, the cutthroat news reporter with an impressive track record of getting the truth from public figures. When an ambitious journalism student, Mia Scott (Bel Powley), desperately competes for her attention, it raises a lot of questions about friendly competition, ethics, and truth in reporting. Truth be told, Helberg’s debut contains a lot of the right sentiments, but never gives a proper message through her characters. Disappointingly, Cold Copy, while entertaining in delivery, struggles to say something meaningful about the media and the ugly truth behind journalism and narrative.
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We first meet Mia after a voice-over narration, where she proclaims all the reasons why it’s important to bring honesty and power to journalism. It’s an odd opening considering what we learn about Mia throughout the film, but it’s also just a bunch of dialogue that the script pretends is deeper than it actually is. Empty monologues aside, the problems for Cold Copy unfortunately do not end there. From themes related to power dynamics and ethics to an underlying story of one entitled white woman’s mission to accomplish her goals, this is a story that lacks nuance and barely understands the story it proclaims to tell.

Cold Copy contains some themes that could present itself as a mashup of Todd Field’s Tár and David Frankel’s The Devil Wears Prada. There are familiar plotlines about the power struggles between mentor and mentee, as well as becoming different, maybe even uglier, versions of ourselves to get the job done by any means necessary. But what sets those films apart from Helberg’s is how there are learning opportunities and even consequences for the characters. Somehow, with all that Helberg’s script declares about ethics in media, there’s rarely any chance for that to manifest itself onscreen. As a result, what may have originally been entertaining comes off unsettling and, quite frankly, annoying.

As Mia’s ambitions get the best of her, she is simultaneously encouraged by Diane to sideline the rules in pursuit of the story. But here’s where things become a bit disturbing: The script doesn’t give any accountability to Mia for all the wrongdoing she does to the people around her. Jacob Tremblay, who is as amazing as ever, gets the brunt of her selfish pursuit of a story as his character Igor becomes the bearer of the truth she must unveil. Mia even stabs her roommate (Nesta Cooper) in the back to get ahead because she thinks she deserves it more. The script never holds Mia accountable. Instead, it blames her actions on her mentor and then lets her walk away unscathed. If that’s the message Cold Copy is trying to send about the repercussions of poor journalism, it’s a bad one.

A character-driven thriller that aims to criticize the media and ethics within journalism is what Cold Copy should have been. But it simply comes up short in its execution. But if there’s one reason to watch the film, look no further than Tracee Ellis Ross’s performance. She is the saving grace of the film; her portrayal almost forgives the movie’s negligent messaging. Bel Powley also gives a fantastic performance as she goes from a meek student to an emboldened force of nature in the workplace. Her character may be unlikable, but Powley is striking as she delivers every line with absolute conviction. Together, Ross and Powley deliver a perfect game of cat and mouse in the chase for truth.

Cold Copy may give off mixed messaging in its script, but there’s no denying the entertainment factor that comes with it. However, by showcasing the imbalance of power through one woman’s unethical approach to gathering the truth of a story, Helberg’s film comes off a little finicky when it comes to accountability. Yet, thanks to stunning performances from Ross and Powley, there’s enough here to get you thinking and talking. Whether the film is capable of making viewers want to continue the conversation after is another thing entirely.

Cold Copy premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival. The film is 91 minutes long and not yet rated.