The Post

Starring: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Bradley Whitford, Bruce Greenwood, Tracy Letts, Matthew Rhys, Alison Brie, Jesse Plemons, David Cross, Michael Stuhlbarg, Austyn Johnson
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: The Washington Post must decide whether to publish the Pentagon Papers and risk jail time for those running the paper.

Review:

Tim: If you've read any of my reviews, you'll know I'm a huge Tom Hanks fan. He's by far my favorite actor and I've seen every movie he's ever made. In recent years, he has had a string of very good movies, mostly based on real-life events. It's an incredibly impressive run- Sully, Bridge of Spies, Saving Mr. Banks, Captain Phillips, and now The Post. For any actor to make those five movies would be a massive accomplishment. Each of those movies are entertaining, well made, and Hanks is great in them. And yet each of them misses out on greatness. They are so good, but fall just short of that magical mark of a "great" movie. The last "great" movie Hanks made was the one that was the biggest risk, the criminally underrated Cloud Atlas. I'm saying all this because The Post is a really good movie, but it feels like another safe choice.

Bridge of Spies is also a collaboration between Hanks and Steven Spielberg, and it's another very good one. Both are based on true events, tap into our American patriotism, and teach us lessons about men and women who took chances for what is right. It feels like that movie is very close to this one. The one slight deviation (which I think is a positive for The Post is that the former was all Hanks' movie and this one, he actually takes second chair to Meryl Streep.

I have to comment on how much I loved seeing the first pairing of Streep and Hanks. These are two of their generation's top actors, paired together for the first time. The scenes with them together were a cinematic treat and I felt very fortunate to be able to see them. Their on screen dynamic was great and I sincerely hope we get more movies with them together. They are both among the best actors of all time and I loved seeing them together. Both give very strong performances. That was easily the highlight of the film.

It helps that you get strong supporting performances, too. Sarah Paulson was good, Bob Odenkirk shined in a small role. I always love seeing Bradley Whitford. It was fun seeing Alison Brie in a small role. Michael Stuhbarg is always an underrated performer. Add in a solid turn by Bruce Greenwood and you have a collection of strong talent. I liked that outside of Streep and Hanks, you had a lot of talented but lesser famous names. Spielberg did a fantastic job of selecting under-the-radar, great actors for his cast.

I do need to highlight Spielberg's role here. I'm not sure I have a "favorite" director, but it would be hard to argue that he's not the greatest director who ever lived. I'm sure people will point to previous generation directors, but the guy has delivered more solid movies than anyone I've ever seen. This is the 28th film of his I've seen, he made 12 great movies (which is astounding) and so many solid, entertaining ones. He makes it seem effortless. I sat down to watch The Post and I'm immediately drawn into the story and the characters and everything I see on screen matters. There's so few directors who can do that again and again and again. It's a stunning achievement. I want to call that out because in Spielberg's pantheon of great movies, The Post doesn't make that list. And yet for a regular director, this could be a career-high. It's simply amazing what Spielberg has been able to achieve.

I didn't know much about the back story of the Pentagon Papers and the role the Washington Post played in publishing them. That was fascinating. I loved that this movie was a love letter to newspapers, especially at a time when print media feels almost extinct and great news reporting feels like an endangered species. This movie is a much-needed reminder of the importance of reporters and how the media can play an important, positive role in our society. I loved those aspects of the film. I have to admit that the movie felt like it made the drama about publishing a little too melodramatic. I know there were personal stakes involved, but the movie really plays that up to the point where it felt just a bit disingenuous. What happened here was important, but the fate of the world wasn't in the balance.

While Spielberg and Hanks (and I guess Streep) have had so many stunning successes that it is possible to feel like The Post is a little humdrum, it is important to note how good this movie is. It might not quite be great, but I'll take highly entertaining, well-acted, important, informational movies any chance I can get them. This movie is worth seeing. I appreciated the Academy Award nomination for Best Picture and Best Actress for Streep, but Hanks deserved recognition as well.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Bridge of Spies, Captain Phillips, The Circle, Charlie Wilson's War