Rent The Post (2017)

Watchable but one-note newspaper drama - The Post review by Alphaville

An intelligent talkie about the Washington Post’s 1971 dilemma abut whether to publish details of the Pentagon Papers, which disclosed that four US governments had misled the country about the Vietnam War. Stephen Spielberg and stars Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep obviously intend the story to have modern parallels about press freedom, but it will be tough to follow for viewers unfamiliar with the era and its politicians.

As a prequel to All the President’s Men it suffers by comparison. While that was thrilling and had star quality, this has little going on behind the surface sheen. Hanks is good as the editor but Streep as the owner is overly mannered and tangential to what is really interesting – the newsroom floor and the stories of the actual reporters and whistle-blowers.

As a one-sided take on the affair, what it doesn’t address is the damage the revelations might do, as with more recent computer hacks of intelligence data. Instead, it concentrates on the newspaper’s dilemma about whether to ‘publish and be damned’, as the Duke of Wellington one famously put it. After the first half sets the stage the second half becomes laughably manipulative of the audience as it tries to keep us on tenterhooks about whether the Post will publish or not. But we know they will or there’d be no film. Cue montage of print-setting to generic John Williams music score. Will it all end with clap-happy cheering? It’s a Stephen Spielberg film. Of course it will.

Interesting but not totally convinced - The Post review by SP

Steven Spielberg, so excellent direction and world class actors in the main roles. Had the film not been attempting to interpret real events I might have bought into it and felt I'd been well entertained. However, the script downplays the role of the New York Times in the leaking of the Pentagon Papers and skates quickly over political events at that time.

Meryl Streep was convincing as Katharine Graham and we could appreciate how ground-breaking her assumption of the ownership of the newspaper was after the death of her husband. And, yes, she had a lavish wardrobe. But I came away thinking there could have been much greater depth to the film.

Dull, talky and cliched - The Post review by LC

Doubtless the real life historical story is an important one, but sadly that doesn't mean it's going to make a great film. The first half is worthy but ultimately a talky and rather dull cinematic experience. However things actually get worse in the second half, with some hideously scripted moments of mawkish 'underdog makes good' and 'female empowerment' - neither of which are inherently bad things, but are handled so obviously they just seem like Hollywood clichés. Not entirely awful, but a disappointment.

C- - The Post review by CP Customer

Wow, what a disappointment. Was really looking forward to this but it failed, quite seriously, to live up to all the hype. Fought to maintain my concentration and It wasn’t easy. Familiar story and the kind of movie shown quite frequently on prime time Sky Atlantic. High profile cast and that may have been part of the problem, the stars were bigger than the story.

A little dissapointing - The Post review by Other Worlds

Real life rarely makes for a good movie , mostly things happen too slowly . I found myself reflecting on that as I watched this movie. The performances are great - Streep and Hanks deserve acknowledgement for that.Indeed the whole cast does, there are some notable actors here who don't get to do a great deal.

In short while the movie had great actors and great production values it suffers from a rushed third act , and feels emotionally muted and bloodless.

Given the scale of what was going on politically and socially it is remarkable how little of it seems to get on to the screen. We get some insight into the stresses facing Katherine Graham but these focus more on her struggles to make an impression in the boardroom and in the days following the suicide of her husband ; significant as these are to her it is not what history will remember as the lasting legacy of the publication of the 'Pentagon Papers'.

Slow to start but solid performances - The Post review by KT

Slow to start with but pace quickens as after 2nd half of the film. Whilst American politics and corrupt presidential power might not to be everyones cup of tea, a lot of reviews here seemed to miss the point and would be similar to saying go read a cook book and hope to find some romatic passages.

To quickly some up the plot is more about a time where unlikely rivals come together. A fight to challenge the establishment inspite the threat against them and what they could all face in a time where freespeech was questionable on certain subjects. Acting is solid and yes the first parts are slow paced with the character building, nobdy said this was a film about Illuminati clues in paintings where they chase across Paris being persued by unsavoury characters, it's just not that that type of time. Hanks and Streep here are no less impressive here than they are in thier best movies.

Great film - The Post review by Maggie

This was a bit of American history that should have been told ,I remember the Vietnam War and the protest all over American and the World at the loss of life ,for no good reason except that pulling out made the politician and the American government looseface to the rest of the world , and because of this a Vietnam soldier were pilloried by their own people when they came home, Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep played these parts so well portraying people who up held the rights of free speech