The Post review round-up: Steven Spielberg’s Oscar 2018 frontrunner wins glowing reception
Critics praised Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, and Bob Odenkirk
Before even being screened to journalists, Steven Spielberg’s upcoming movie about the Washington Post’s reportage on the Pentagon Papers was getting huge amounts of Oscars buzz.
Titled The Post, everything about the movie has awards-frontrunner written on it, from the timely subject matter to ludicrously talented cast. Spielberg himself even said: “If I can't make it this year, I'm not making it.”
With less than two weeks until reaching US cinemas (the UK will have to wait until next year), the reviews have finally come out. Unsurprisingly, they’re glowing.
“The Post is a thoroughly enjoyable film and on par with the very similar but slightly more subtle Spotlight,” writes The Independent in a four-star review. The Guardian awarded the same score, their critic calling the film “rousingly watchable”. The Telegraph, meanwhile, awarded the drama a perfect score, praising performances by Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, and Bob Odenkirk.
The most negative review comes from Business Insider, their critic writing: “The Post isn’t a waste of your time, but I was hoping for more — at the very least a little more of that something extra that makes Spielberg movies stand out.”
The Post reaches UK cinemas 19 January. Read snippets from the reviews below.
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018
Early Oscars Best Picture Contenders 2018
1/15 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones
Plot: In this darkly comic drama, a mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder, when they fail to catch the culprit.
2/15 Call Me By Your Name
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg
Plot: A young man named Elio, living in Italy during the 1980s, meets Oliver, an academic who has come to stay at his parents' villa, and a passionate relationship develops between them, as they bond over their sexuality, their Jewish heritage, and the landscape.
3/15 Dunkirk
Cast: Harry Styles, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance
Plot: In May 1940, Germany advanced into France, trapping Allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk. Under air and ground cover from British and French forces, troops were slowly and methodically evacuated from the beach using every serviceable naval and civilian vessel that could be found. At the end of this heroic mission, 330,000 French, British, Belgian and Dutch soldiers were safely evacuated.
4/15 Get Out
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener
Plot: This horror drama follows a young interracial couple who visit the girl's parents only for her boyfriend to uncover a conspiracy whereby young black adults are being captured.
5/15 Downsizing
Cast: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christopher Waltz, Alec Baldwin
Plot: A man and his wife join a community of miniaturized people after undergoing a process to shrink themselves.
6/15 The Florida Project
Cast:Willem Dafoe, Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince
Plot: A precocious 6-year-old and her friends are homeless, living in extended-stay motels, but their summer is still filled with childhood wonder and adventure.
7/15 The Post
Cast: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Alison Brie, Sarah Paulson
Plot: Ben Bradlee and Kay Graham of The Washington Post challenge the federal government for the right to publish classified information in 1971.
8/15 The Shape of Water
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer, Doug Jones
Plot: In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa's life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda discover a secret classified experiment.
9/15 Molly's Game
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner
Plot: The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.
10/15 The Big Sick
Cast: Kumail Najiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano
Plot: Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.
11/15 Mudbound
Cast: Jason Clarke, Carey Mulligan, Mary J. Blige, Garrett Hedlund
Plot: This Netflix film follows two who men return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after war.
12/15 The Disaster Artist
Cast: James Franco, Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Zac Efron
Plot: A big screen re-enactment of the making of Tommy Wiseau's cult film The Room deemed 'the worst movie of all time.'
13/15 Phantom Thread
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, Vicky Krieps
Plot: Set in 1950's London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.
14/15 Lady Bird
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Beanie Feldstein, Tracy Letts
Plot: Gerwig's deirectorial debut is a coming-of-age story about a high-school senior (Ronan) and her turbulent relationship with her mother (Metcalf).
15/15 Darkest Hour
Cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Ben Mendelsohn
Plot: The film follows Winston Churchill's early days as Prime Minister while Hitler closes in on Britain during World War II.
1/15 Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones
Plot: In this darkly comic drama, a mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder, when they fail to catch the culprit.
2/15 Call Me By Your Name
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Armie Hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg
Plot: A young man named Elio, living in Italy during the 1980s, meets Oliver, an academic who has come to stay at his parents' villa, and a passionate relationship develops between them, as they bond over their sexuality, their Jewish heritage, and the landscape.
3/15 Dunkirk
Cast: Harry Styles, Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance
Plot: In May 1940, Germany advanced into France, trapping Allied troops on the beaches of Dunkirk. Under air and ground cover from British and French forces, troops were slowly and methodically evacuated from the beach using every serviceable naval and civilian vessel that could be found. At the end of this heroic mission, 330,000 French, British, Belgian and Dutch soldiers were safely evacuated.
4/15 Get Out
Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener
Plot: This horror drama follows a young interracial couple who visit the girl's parents only for her boyfriend to uncover a conspiracy whereby young black adults are being captured.
5/15 Downsizing
Cast: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christopher Waltz, Alec Baldwin
Plot: A man and his wife join a community of miniaturized people after undergoing a process to shrink themselves.
6/15 The Florida Project
Cast:Willem Dafoe, Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince
Plot: A precocious 6-year-old and her friends are homeless, living in extended-stay motels, but their summer is still filled with childhood wonder and adventure.
7/15 The Post
Cast: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Alison Brie, Sarah Paulson
Plot: Ben Bradlee and Kay Graham of The Washington Post challenge the federal government for the right to publish classified information in 1971.
8/15 The Shape of Water
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Octavia Spencer, Doug Jones
Plot: In the hidden high-security government laboratory where she works, lonely Elisa is trapped in a life of isolation. Elisa's life is changed forever when she and co-worker Zelda discover a secret classified experiment.
9/15 Molly's Game
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner
Plot: The true story of Molly Bloom, an Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game and became an FBI target.
10/15 The Big Sick
Cast: Kumail Najiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano
Plot: Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.
11/15 Mudbound
Cast: Jason Clarke, Carey Mulligan, Mary J. Blige, Garrett Hedlund
Plot: This Netflix film follows two who men return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after war.
12/15 The Disaster Artist
Cast: James Franco, Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Zac Efron
Plot: A big screen re-enactment of the making of Tommy Wiseau's cult film The Room deemed 'the worst movie of all time.'
13/15 Phantom Thread
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, Vicky Krieps
Plot: Set in 1950's London, Reynolds Woodcock is a renowned dressmaker whose fastidious life is disrupted by a young, strong-willed woman, Alma, who becomes his muse and lover.
14/15 Lady Bird
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Beanie Feldstein, Tracy Letts
Plot: Gerwig's deirectorial debut is a coming-of-age story about a high-school senior (Ronan) and her turbulent relationship with her mother (Metcalf).
15/15 Darkest Hour
Cast: Gary Oldman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lily James, Ben Mendelsohn
Plot: The film follows Winston Churchill's early days as Prime Minister while Hitler closes in on Britain during World War II.
The Independent — Christopher Hooton — 4/5
The Post is a thoroughly enjoyable film and on par with the very similar but slightly more subtle Spotlight. In the age of ideology over art, if the latter can (and did) win Best Picture, it's hard to see how the former, which functions as its aunt or uncle, can't given its added timeliness.
The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw — 4/5
Steven Spielberg’s handsome new picture has a big, beating heart on its classically tailored sleeve. It’s a rousingly watchable film from first-time screenwriter Liz Hannah… The film is a pointed celebration of liberal decency in the past and implied present.
The Telegraph — Robbie Collin — 5/5
The hot lead and rolled shirtsleeves make The Post an unmistakable period piece. But as both a tale from history and a call to arms, it gives you hope that cold truth might not yet be a thing of the past.
Steven Spielberg’s The Post throttles along in a pleasurably bustling, down-to-the-timely-minute way. It’s a heady, jam-packed docudrama that, with confidence and great filmmaking verve (though not what you’d call an excess of nuance), tells a vital American story of history, journalism, politics, and the way those things came together over a couple of fateful weeks in the summer of 1971.
Entertainment Weekly — Chris Nashawaty — B+
The beauty of Streep’s performance (and it’s one of her best in years) is how she lets you see her grow into the responsibility of her position. She elevates The Post from being a First Amendment story to a feminist one, too. Spielberg makes these crucial days in American history easy to follow.
I still bounced out of the theatre feeling cheered and energized, ready to keep fighting these greedy autocrats (tweeting is fighting, right?), to subscribe to some newspapers, and to start really loving Meryl Streep again. Which is exactly this movie’s aim, I’d argue. The Academy is gonna love it, and you know what? When the Oscar bait is this high-grade, I’m all right with that.
Business Insider — Jason Guerrasio
I’m extremely conflicted with The Post. There are some very powerful moments. And the movie is timely with what’s going on in the country today (a rarity for narrative studio movies). But the latter might have led to its downfall. The speed to get the movie out the door may have prompted choices that, with more time, would have been thought out better.
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