“The Post” is a movie with important themes to convey. Its first goal is to send a message by calling out politicians, reasserting the right to free press within the First Amendment and pointing out the necessity of journalism in a democracy such as ours.
Its secondary goal is to entertain. The movie fulfilled its primary purpose with ease, using actual telephone recordings of Nixon threatening members of his staff and the press to draw frightening comparisons between the political atmosphere of the past and the present.
For the purpose of this review, however, I’m not going to dive too deep into the politics of the film. Instead, I will focus on the aspects of the movie that were designed to entertain: The fascinating true story, and the compelling characters that played a role in it.
Directing legend Steven Spielberg utilized his great experience in movie making to breathe life into a film that might have smothered itself with its message under a different director. He created representations of the real-life people who lived the events portrayed on screen that undergo real development and growth. They act as more than just a means to further the film’s message.
Meryl Streep’s character, the timid owner of The Washington Post, Katharine Graham, is especially well acted. Streep plays the meek and abashed role very well at the beginning of the film, but delivers an even better performance as her character grows into someone who isn’t afraid to assert herself.
Tom Hanks delivers a memorable performance as well, as his character — the cocky, print-first-ask-questions-later editor of The Post, Ben Bradlee — begins to realize the scope of his actions and the effects they have on others as the film progresses.
The film’s plot, similar to its message and its characters, takes itself seriously and develops at a brisk and dramatic pace.
Spielberg recognizes the significance of the story he’s telling, and does a good job of making the audience understand that significance as well.
Spielberg takes Nixon’s attempt to forbid the press from reporting on a damning study about the negative outcomes of the Vietnam War and translates it beautifully to the screen. When the movie ends, you feel as though you’ve witnessed something historic and important.
Beyond the story and characters, the movie had some great shots in it as well — an overhead circling shot of Streep in a flowing white gown comes to mind. It was convincing as a story that takes place largely in a 1970s newsroom, and the costumes and atmosphere all seemed spot on to me.
“The Post” isn’t a traditional Hollywood film in the sense that its number one goal is not to please its audience but to deliver a message.
Although it might not have focused on entertainment in the traditional sense, it still provided a cast of interesting characters set up against the backdrop of one of the most important events in journalistic history. It is worth a watch.