Connect with us
The Post Review

Movie Reviews

The Post Review

The Post has a lot going for it. It stars Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep, two of the biggest actors in modern cinema and it’s directed by one of the most beloved directors of all time, Steven Spielberg. While it has its moments, and the performances are quite good, I ultimately found The Post disappointing.

The film opens with Daniel Ellsberg, a military analyst for the State Department, accompanying troops into combat during the Vietnam War. His job is to assess the military progress in the region for Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. On their way home, McNamara says that he thinks the war is hopeless, yet he tells reporters how confident he is in the war effort when they land. Ellsberg overhears this.

Years later, Ellsberg photocopies classified documents detailing the progress of the Vietnam War (eventually known as the Pentagon Papers) and leaks the reports to The New York Times. This is about the time where we’re introduced to Katherine Graham (Merlyl Streep), the owner of The Washington Post after her late husband’s death, and Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), her editor-in-chief. Ben discovers that the Times has an expose on those documents, although they’re stopped from publishing their full series due to a court injunction. Ben decides the Post must get their hands on these papers and expose the larger story. Katherine then is tasked with having to decide whether to publish and fight for the freedom of the press, or back down to guarantee the safety of her paper.

I found the film to be quite boring. It does move quickly, and all of the performances are solid, but the content just didn’t grip me. I didn’t feel the urgency or the intensity that I believe Spielberg wanted the audience to feel. The Post fell flat.

Streep is great as Katherine and Hanks is equally impressive as Ben, but quite frankly these are not even close to their best performances. Don’t get me wrong, they’re two of the finest actors still working, but I didn’t find either performance to be especially noteworthy. There were a couple women that deserved a best actress nomination over Streep at the Oscars this year.

All in all, skip this one unless you’re really interested in history or this particular scandal or at the least wait to watch this one at home.

The Post Review
The Post
Is it good?
The Post boasts solid performances but is quite bland and one of Spielberg's weaker films.
Boring, plot doesn't grip you
Feels like Oscar bait
Although the performances are solid, they aren't anything special for Streep and Hanks
3
Meh

Join the AIPT Patreon

Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:

  • ❌ Remove all ads on the website
  • 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
  • 📗 Access to our monthly book club
  • 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
  • 💥 And more!
Sign up today
Comments

In Case You Missed It

WWE SmackDown preview, full card: March 1, 2024 WWE SmackDown preview, full card: March 1, 2024

WWE SmackDown preview, full card: March 1, 2024

Pro Wrestling

AEW Dynamite preview, full card: February 28, 2024 AEW Dynamite preview, full card: February 28, 2024

AEW Dynamite preview, full card: February 28, 2024

Pro Wrestling

AEW Rampage preview, full card: March 1, 2024 AEW Rampage preview, full card: March 1, 2024

AEW Rampage preview, full card: March 1, 2024

Pro Wrestling

Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in 'Blood Hunt' Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in 'Blood Hunt'

Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in ‘Blood Hunt’

Comic Books

Connect
Newsletter Signup