The Post

It's almost unfair how much The Post has going for it. 

A timely narrative. 

An intense political climate with a Trump Presidency. 

Steven Spielberg as a director. 

Tom Hanks. 

Meryl Streep. 

Literally every good actor and actress from television filling the gaps (seriously, it's insane). 

There's so much good in The Post that it's hard to not be in awe at all these pieces lining up just so perfectly. And they do line up very close to that. 

The Post, Steven Spielberg's holdover film until the highly-anticipated Ready Player One is his, "Ya know, I think I'd like to be considered for awards this year!" movie where on the surface level it may seem like typical Hollywood Oscar bait with all it has going for it. Well too bad Steven! You'll have to wait for the 2018 Rath Awards to see any rewards from this critic!

Let's just pretend like he cares about that...

Moving on, The Post comes at a time of a really tense political climate. I'd even go so far as to say it's a toxic political climate anymore because you can barely have discourse with anyone without getting called a name (from either side, mind you) or being labeled (again, either side here). Without going deep into my political leanings, I long for a time where the moderates -- who I'd argue make up most of the voting population -- are the normal voice. A time where political discourse is an engaging, fulfilling conversation and both sides can respect the others views, rather than being a pissing contest. I know of far too many examples in my life of people (say it with me now, on both sides) that are so ingrained in their party lines that it blurs their logical thinking. They'd rather align with loyalty to a grey-line boundary than ever, once, admit the other side might have a point, a good idea, or be right. It's frustrating to say the least and it's why I've become so disinterested in politics in the recent years of my life. 

"Are you running for President with Oprah?"

"Are we sure that FX, AMC, HBO, etc.
can part with all these TV stars?

Along those lines, and I promise I'll end this rambling soon, the media is just as much the problem as they are the solution. They're either "villainous" or "saviors", depending on who you ask and the answer is probably a little bit of both with a lot of in between. Back in the early seventies, I'm sure there were many of the same thoughts as there are today, especially when the Pentagon Papers began to release. Spielberg clearly takes the side of the press holding the government accountable and now that history has progressed, I think it's pretty clear a lot of what was covered up was awful. The film may "pick" on Nixon because he's the President at the time, but it certainly doesn't fail to mention that every President before him -- all the way back to Truman -- had a hand in the deception surrounding the Vietnam War (can you tell I was paying attention?). 

No matter how you look at the politics of it though, The Post is one hell of a good film. Spielberg has a particular grace with historical/period pieces, and The Post may be one of his best yet, highly similar to Bridge of Spies, but yet distinct in the excitement and tension that it builds around publication and the consequences of said publishing. I'm sure some liberties were taken here and there to dial things up a notch, but at the end of it all you come away learning about the decisions that had to be made as they relate to the Washington Post and what impact they would have had on the company, the employees, and the country. It could be the history buff in me, but I found it so damn interesting the whole way through that I hardly realized an hour or more had passed as we neared the end, a testament to its excellent pacing and captivating storytelling. 

Spielberg doesn't get all the credit though as the cast is just as splendid. Before even getting to the two heavy hitters, I was consistently amazed by how much incredible talent Spielberg wrangled here, particularly from the TV-medium. There's a lot of familiar faces here from character actors but how on earth did Better Call Saul, Fargo, The Leftovers, American Crime/Horror Story, and Tobias Funke all have schedules that aligned for this sucker?! Other than getting underutilized -- Carrie Coon deserved more time to shine -- they're all fantastic here and it's wonderful seeing this hodgepodge of awesome TV talent. Streep and Hanks are obviously perfect here too and this is one of those times that Streep (and Hanks for that matter) probably deserves that 19,824th nomination. They both have impressive scenes and work wonderfully together, but even more impressive; they keep the film intense. There's true dread, fear, passion, and worry in their eyes and actions that help you to feel the pressure they must have felt before going to press. I'd expect nothing less from this level of talent, but it's still a delight to see. 

"Dammit, Tom. How many times do we
have to tell you to get your feet off the desk!?"

Because it's Spielberg, The Post comes with a fitting and good, sometimes great, original score. It's definitely an old school, orchestral design which is suitable for the time period but its useful throughout the whole film and really effective in the scenes that it matters most.

The Post may technically be from 2017, but for us mere peasants who go to normal screenings, it's a hell of a way to kick of 2018 and it's nice to be this impressed by the first film of the year. It has me excited for another year of doing this and coupled with a laundry list of must-see films this year, I think it could be one of the best movie years in some time! I hope you're excited too!

CONS

• Most of the bigger TV names are under-utilized (with a few exceptions)
• Not sure I would necessarily need to watch it again

PROS

• Superb direction from Spielberg in a genre that he's become very talented at
• Highly interesting look at history and it creates tension where you may imagine there'd be none
• Runs at a fast clip and the pacing/editing are tight and effective
• SO MANY PEOPLE FROM TV. I'd say it's almost distracting, but they're just so good that it's hard to not be impressed their schedules all lined up
• Hanks and Streep are great co-stars and they have an undeniable "talent chemistry" where they perform scenes really well together
• The timeliness of the film cant be ignored
• Good/great original score that suits the film well
• A really strong way to kick off the New Year!

Rath's Reviews Score | 9/10