The Post was directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Meryl Streep as the country's first female newspaper publisher accompanied by her hard-driving editor (Tom Hanks) as they join an unprecedented battle between the press and the government. The Post is one of those movies that immediately grabs the attention of the public eye as it has Oscar written all over it just from the previews. After leaving The Post, I found it to be slightly underwhelming at times but still entertaining and a very impressive movie. As a fan of Spielberg's movies and a fan of historical dramas I thought The Post was perfectly fine. I was captivated by the story from the opening shots and hooked virtually throughout the entire film. The Post is one of those movies you can just feel the professionalism throughout it. You can see the shots were put together perfectly and everything was meticulously crafted, but there was something that felt missing throughout it. It took me a while to find out what that was and I think I finally nailed it down, but we will get into that later.
So let's jump into the best parts of The Post:
1. Performances- This is a given. Anytime that you have Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep in a movie, it's guaranteed to have amazing performances. Tom Hanks was wonderful and really played against some of his more typical roles. He was tough and gritty. His character pushed the boundaries and fought for the justice he felt was needed. Meryl Streep knocked her role out of the park. The entire third act had me smiling from ear to ear anytime she was on the screen. Her character was strong and creative. She carried and demanded each scene she was in. It was a real treat to get to see these two legends act opposite of each other in expert fashion.
2. Direction- This is also another one of those guaranteed things from the beginning. Spielberg's direction of this film is just masterful. The first scene we see Hanks and Streep together was near perfect. He left the editing and camera movements minimal and allowed for the actors to capture the attention of the audience. Spielberg is one of those directors who understand when it's time to allow the script to take over the scene. Matt Reeves and Taylor Sheridan are also excellent examples of directors who let the script lead the scene. In these scenes, the cuts and edits almost come to a complete stop. It feels like everything slows down and as an audience we are gifted to opportunity to zoom in on the dialogue and the acting. It is impressive when a director takes the back seat to a scene and allows for the writer and the actors to have the spotlight. Its these types of directors that get to dawn the title of "great."
3. Tension- The Post is one of those movies that movies slower, but builds tension as it goes. It's one of those movies that you don't realize tension is building until the last few moments. It was exciting to see that a movie that didn't have fast paced editing, a jarring score or camera tricks to create tension. It was built on the backs of the performances and the script. I loved the 3rd act of this film as it was impressive and cathartic with how everything was playing out. I felt invested in the story and felt like I was there. I had formed my own opinions about the situations being portrayed in the film which allowed me to care more about the story and the people affected.
This movie wasn't perfect. So let's take a look at the part that didn't work:
1. 2nd act- So, this is one of those things I could see as something many people can over look, but I did have to mention it. The second act of this movie at times can feel a little stale, mainly because we are waiting for the next big thing to happen. The pacing during the second act dragged at times and caused it to be a slow moving. I noticed that the pacing slowed when it was not centered around Tom Hanks or Meryl Streep. Fortunately for this movie it picked right back up when they were brought back on screen.
Overall, I had a good time while watching The Post. It was one of those movies I will be looking for it to receive several Oscar Nominations. It was just a spectacular display of film making by everyone who worked on this movie. Unfortunately, there were some dull moments in the 2nd act when the story shifted off of the main characters. This is one of Spielberg's better showings in recent years and one I highly recommend seeing in theaters. I am going to give The Post an A.
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