The Post

Although there were several rumors of The Post being a rushed project for Oscar bait, I was still excited for this film to come out in theaters. It has Meryl Streep, who is notorious for being nominated for an Oscar every time she shows her face, and Tom Hanks, who has proved his acting power time and time again. I just saw it, and I knew I had to write a review as soon as possible; this film is lucky to have these two actors, and a pretty memorable supporting cast as well, because both of them saved its lackluster story and one-note execution.

Tom Hanks giving orders and spitting out banter at everyone he knows was an entertaining distraction to the snail pace of both the main conflict and Meryl Streep’s development. Her character is not the person in the trailers, at all. I was satisfied with her arc over time, but I had to be generous with how long it took. Their chemistry together was very well done, the camera continued to roll without cutting, and this gave both of the actors room to give it their all.

There are a lot of mentions to the Vietnam War, and what is at stake if The Washington Post publishes the papers, but that’s all they are. Mentions. “Lives have been lost in Vietnam.” Don’t tell me. Show me, especially when the characters are talking about the war as if it had already ended. I felt no speed in the pace, no urgency that was spurring the characters forward. All of them want to get the news first so they can write it before The New York Times, but after they have the papers, everyone waits around for the hammer of consequences to fall. It might be realistic, but it was executed poorly. There was a lot of potential with the papers and why The Washington Post needed to publish these stories, but it seemed like Spielberg didn’t care.

I can bash this movie all day, but really I should be pointing my finger at the director. He has made better time-period dramas with far superior skill and passion than this film. I honestly wish I could ask him why he made it. To me it seems like he wanted the quick, easy money from the people frustrated over the press and the government today, stating this film as timely—even though the relationship between the press and the government back then is quite the opposite from today—and maybe grabbing a few undeserving Oscars on his way out. This man was considered a revolutionary, but to me it sounds like he’s crunching through his own equation to make his wallet that much fatter.

I do not know what Spielberg wanted his audience to gain through seeing The Post, but it definitely was not a call to action. His audience is also something I question; a majority of the people in the theater most likely remember when the papers were published, but even the old man sitting next to me was sleeping the entire time. I am not sure what demographic is going to praise this film wholeheartedly, but they definitely need to know what was going on at the time, because this film fails at doing the one thing historical dramas are made to do: show you the stakes and the struggles of that time. There are hints of how Meryl Streep’s character struggles to lead her company, and there are several interesting shots of the newspaper business doing its cycle of writing, printing, and distributing its news to the world—with cigarettes and typewriters filling the screens—but other than that I felt like I was watching something filmed in present day Washington D.C.

The last thing audiences see of any film is the ending, and the ending to this film felt like a Marvel after-credits scene, which is not a good thing. I was physically angry when I exited the theater because the last scene was spoon-fed as if every audience member was a stupid infant. It was shot like The Washington Post was the superhero, and the next bad guy had just committed his first crime. The last frame was the next newspaper crisis smiling at the camera yelling, “If this movie makes enough money, then I’m the sequel!”

The history of this story is very interesting, and the shots of the printing papers streaming out long lines of paper were aesthetically pleasing, but by next week I will have forgotten this movie other than the heavy disappointment I have in its director. Nothing inside me is inspired, and nothing inside me was moved. The only reason I am rating the characters higher than the story is because the actors tried their best to invest my time, and they deserve all the respect they can get.

Story Rating: 5/10

Character Rating: 6/10