Oscar bait movies are usually boring, there’s no denying that fact. They usually follow the life of an important figure in history, while showing either their whole lives or a critical decision in their lives. The new Steven Spielberg film, “The Post,” follows the latter of the two Oscar bait film conventions, following in and around a major decision that a famous person from History makes. This decision, is all about if the Washington Post, back in the early 70s,
should publish the “Pentagon Papers,” a 4,000-page document that proves that government lied and covered up our real reasons for being in the Vietnam War.
The movie’s main character is Katherine Graham, the first Woman in charge of the Washington Post, portrayed excellently by the one and only Meryl Streep; and the team of editors and reporters that work below here, portrayed by Tom Hanks, David Cross and Bob Odenkirk, with more supporting roles going to Bradley Whitford, Alison Brie and Sarah Paulson. The standouts of the film are, no shock here, Streep and Hanks, who’s chemistry and mutual respect for each other characters are really the best part of this film. That, and the dialogue between the characters. It never feels fake or not-genuine, but instead like two friends that have been working together for years. The rest of the cast does a good job with their roles too, no matter the size. The direction by Spielberg is not his best, he holds on two shots of characters talking almost too long at times, but when he’s cutting quickly to show the newspaper being created, it’s immensely fascinating and satisfying to watch.
Now, of course I was alive back during the days of Nixon and Vietnam, however I really felt like I was back there while watching the film. The character’s wardrobe along with the hopefully accurate set design makes the world of 1970s Washington and New York feel alive, like we’re there. I think this movie has slightly too much nostalgia packed in, because at times the story did drag on and linger for longer than it should’ve. I understand that this is based off reality so they only have so much to work from when it comes to the story, however I was still bored at times throughout the movie. The pacing is off at times too, and I think that is in fault due to how often Spielberg stayed in a two shot, which means having two characters in the same shot as each other, one on the left of the frame and the other on the right side. Doing this, really made their conversations feel like they’re happening in real time, which slows down the pacing.
Overall, I enjoyed this movie. It’s a paint-by-numbers biopic, but the time-period accurateness and the actor’s performances really drive the film. Some of the film felt predictable, but at I still enjoyed this film. Look for this movie come Oscar time.