Katharine Graham is the first female publisher of a major American newspaper -- The Washington Post. With help from editor Ben Bradlee, Graham races to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that spans three decades and four
Director: Steven Spielberg
Release Date:
Cast: Meryl Streep,Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Bruce Greenwood, Carrie Coon
Rated PG-13 for language and brief war violence
Runtime: 1 hr. 56 min.
Genres: Biography, Drama, History
Review:
The Post is a highly polished,
well acted prestige film from Steven Spielberg that couldn’t feel timelier if
it tired. The film is set the in 70s but
it hard not to see modern day parallels throughout. Spielberg tries his best to keep the film
self contained but its hard not to see it as a message movie. In the hands of a lesser talent the film
would have come off as more overtly preachy.
The top tier cast helps that by putting on some stellar performances. Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks are front and
center for most of the film and each turns in impressive but varied
performances. Streep turn as Katharine
Graham is a study in subtleness and nuance as we watch her character find her
place and ultimately her resolve to lead.
Tom Hanks is a rougher around the edges but still likable and relatable
even though he and Streep play fairly Waspy characters. The supporting characters are all played by
top level character actors, like Bob Odenkirk, Carrie Coon and Bradley
Whitford, and they give the film a strong steady feel throughout. While the film has all the right ingredients
there’s just something about it that keeps the audience at arms length that
keeps it from being a classic. The Post
is still strong enough to make for a perfect companion All The President’s Men.
A-
