With so many Oscar nods to The Post, my main motivation to see it stemmed from my desire to know what everyone is talking about. I mean, how could I yell at the Academy for getting everything wrong (because they usually do) if I haven't formed my own opinion? Sometimes I think one of the integral prerequisites for a Best Picture nomination is being...well...excruciatingly boring. Either that or having some subliminal Social Justice Warrior message. The Post isn't quite as subliminal, dull, or annoying as, say, Moonlight; yet does have an obvious "middle finger to Trump" feeling to it. What else could we expect, right? If you don't believe me, just ask Hanks, Streep, Spielberg, or literally anyone else in Hollywood.
However, despite the motivation and irritating revisionist history aspects of it, The Post is frankly very well put together.
For starters, the plot is extremely linear. Mind you, this not always a good attribute, and can often contribute to an extremely slow-paced movie that feels dragged far beyond its point of enjoyment. However, part of what I appreciated about The Post is that needless sub-plots were not crammed into the run-time a means of making it more "interesting." The plot is established early, is stuck to, and didn't include wildly unnecessary or random characters. Best of all, it isn't disjointed, which is becoming increasingly rare nowadays.
Additionally, the directing methods are very engaging. I mean, it is a Steven Spielberg movie, so this is no surprise. However, most of Spielberg's success comes from visually stimulating movies that are often keen on dramatic sound effects and well-directed suspenseful action scenes. Because of this, I thought he was an interesting choice for a dialogue-based movie. Although, he proved himself, yet again, as one of the best directors to ever see film; presenting well-cut and engaging tactics to keep the audience intrigued on the dialogue, despite some unavoidably dry moments.
I kind of hate to admit it, but the acting was impressive. I struggle with Meryl Streep because, well, she's such a despicable person; but she really does bring her A-game to every role. It's also been a good minute since I've seen Tom Hanks in anything, so it was also fun seeing him in a strictly dramatic role. And who would've thought Bob Odenkirk would do such a good job? Better call Saul!
Now, mind you, Streep is up for yet another (like 20th or 50th, I don't know) Oscar nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Which is just...ugh. Don't get me wrong, she does a great job, but she doesn't bring what appears to be an Oscar-worthy performance; primarily because her role didn't require her to deliver as such. She didn't do anything far more impressive than Tom Hanks, yet I don't see his name on the Academy's list. But Streep is nominated. Why, you ask? Because it's Meryl Freaking Streep, that's why.
Here's my main rant, though: The Post's entire narrative is entirely dependent on whether The Washington Post will publish the Pentagon Papers, exposing the horrible lies multiple presidents fed the American people about the Vietnam War. These thousands of papers span across multiple decades and presidencies, ending with the Nixon Administration. Taking place in 1971, The Post paints Richard Nixon as the proprietor of the Vietnam War and the centerpiece to the papers. Uh, no--wrong! It was, in fact, primarily JFK and LBJ that lied the American public, put us in a war they knew we couldn't win, and allowed troops to die simply as a means of thwarting an international embarrassment. Yes, Nixon was in on it, too, but he was mostly a continuance of an scandal that had been happening for years. Besides, especially after Watergate, I'm not sure why they even wanted to attempt to add this blow to Nixon's reputation. It's not like it's untarnished.
Clearly there is an unfortunate aspect of painfully obvious revisionist history propaganda. And, even furtherly unfortunate, plenty of the American public will probably buy into it. But, dammit, The Post is just put together too well to not give it enough credit.
I will say, though, that this is definitely not a movie anyone could enjoy. I enjoyed it because I like that era of American history and I don't have a problem with dramatic dialogue movies. And...you know...I'm a critic. However, if those kinds of movies aren't really your thing, you're gonna be bored. And that's not because the movie isn't done well, it's just not everyone's cup of tea.
Even though it is good, it's still not Best Picture good. So, if it does win...just...no. But if it does, it will only be because it's an elongated giant middle finger to Donald Trump and his "FAKE NEWS" rally cries. It's becoming painfully obvious that Trump is living rent-free in Hollywood's (and, frankly, most of America's) heads, and I find it hilarious.
That said, The Post is still good enough to receive an 80%, deeming it
Theater Worthy
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