Let's get the superlatives out of the way. The Post is Steven Spielberg's best film since Minority Report, and his most important film since Saving Private Ryan. It is a riveting, valuable, imperative, entertaining tour-de-force that strikes the ideal balance between educational civics lesson and race-the-clock crowd-pleaser (two genres that Spielberg frequently dabbles in, yet rarely combines with such vigor and grace as he does here). It's a masterful work, a crowning achievement that NEEDS to be on your radar as we head into the holiday season. And I'm not alone in feeling this way.
The social media embargo for Steven Spielberg's The Post lifter after the Oscar contender (and possible frontrunner) started screening for more industry professionals in New York and Los Angeles. The raves flowed, and rightfully so, for Spielberg's timely historical piece about the internal struggle by The Washington Post and The New York Times to break a developing story regarding the publishing of The Pentagon Papers -- documents that proved multiple U.S. administrations misled the American public about our military's motivations and strategic involvements in Vietnam. Spielberg's drama dives into the delicate relationships between the press and our politicians, a theme that makes The Post extremely relative in these times. As FilmStruck's Alicia Malone notes:
And a number of Tweets rave about Steven Spielberg's cast. How can they not, when the ensemble for The Post includes the likes of Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bradley Whitford, Sarah Paulson, Matthew Rhys and Bruce Greenwood? As good as everyone is in the cast, the social media reactions singled out Ms. Streep, who many say gives another spotlight turn in a career that has been filled with them:
And this bold claim:
There were even a few Tweets that went ahead and discussed The Post's stance in the ever-fluid Best Picture race. Granted, there are miles to go before we end up crowning a particular film, but this Tweet from Vox's Alissa Wilkinson, who sums up:
It's the early days for The Post, a movie that finally will be in theaters on Christmas Day before eventually going wider in January. The film needs to screen to qualify for an Oscar run, and 20th Century Fox likely wanted to generate some buzz as the movie (and its individual collaborators) started receiving recognition from critics' groups like the National Board of Review and top organizations from major U.S. cities.
Allow me to back that up. The Post is a significant contribution to the national conversation by an impossibly gifted filmmaker who is working at the top of his game. It's a mesmerizing slice of American history that connects as deeply to our daily headlines as it does to our textbooks. It is a must-see movie this holiday season, and one that I believe we will be discussing often as we trek through the annual Oscar race. While you wait, bookmark our 2018 Movie Release Schedule, so you know what movies are opening, and when.
