Review of The Post (2017) by Wayne K — 30 Jan 2018

Considering the wealth of talent that went into it, it's hard to describe just how disappointing The Post was. Spielberg, Hanks, Streep, a trio of film giants with 8 Academy Awards between them, and all we get is near 2 hours of bickering.

I have a deep dislike for constant argumentative dialogue, where usually one character has an idea and everyone else spends their time trying to convince them otherwise by complaining as much as possible, i.

E. Lincoln, another Spielberg film coincidentally. The Post might not be quite as verbose, but it still got very tiring very quickly. Lacking the snappy back and forth from The Social Network, or cut-throat dealings of The Founder, The Post felt like a more sedate version of Steve Jobs, a movie where the titular character was bitched at by literally everyone around him the entire time.

It was Aaron Sorkin at his most Sorkinest, and I didn't find it the least bit entertaining. The Post is much the same, and it's Oscar nominations feel like they were given more for the calibre of talent involved rather than the quality of the resultant product.

It only really starts to get interesting at about the hour and 40-minute mark, but by then you realise the film has only 10 minutes to go before ending on a flat note. The rest is angry meetings and parties being interrupted so an angry meeting can take place.

Let's hope this isn't a sign of where Spielberg's directorial career is heading.