Charming. Whimsical. Inspiring. These are all words that one would commonly use to describe a Steven Spielberg movie, and oftentimes it would be in a positive connotation. Unfortunately for The Post, his latest crusade to capture the unbridled determination of the human spirit starring Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep and an absurdly rich cast of television all-stars, the Spielberg effect is the picture’s shortcoming.
Steven Spielberg doesn’t make bad movies, and this one is no different, but The Post felt like it had no teeth and lacked a certain amount of authenticity, which undercut everything you were watching onscreen. When you compare the Washington Post newsroom here to the same one shown in All the President’s Men, you can’t help but feel like The Post was a well funded game of dress-up.
3 on the left, 2 on the right, 4 behind the camera
Perhaps it is unfair criticism to say I just didn’t believe these people lived in the world they tried to create, which could be the result of putting together such a high profile cast, but when I think about the Ben Bradlee that Jason Robards created in ’76 and the one Hanks puts to the screen here, one of them feels like the editor of a newspaper and the other like Oscar bait.
Overall: 3/5
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