Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) struggles to make her way as first female publisher of a major American newspaper (The Washington Post) as many of the men around her doubt her abilities. Faced with the scandal of a massive cover-up of government secrets about Vietnam, Graham and her editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) race to catch up with the coverage of the New York Times and fight the government for the right to publish.
Our take: Wait for the DVD.
Post credit scene? No.
In a time when journalists and the news media are being questioned left and right and left again, this film shines as a reminder that the press was created “to serve the governed, not the governors” (As Justice Hugo Black said in New York Times v United States). It’s definitely another great from Steven Spielberg that political history buffs will adore.
The film is gripping and keeps the viewer interested throughout, even though the end is known (if you don’t know The Washington Post is doing fine). From the cars to the clothes, the movie perfectly reimagines the 1970s. Streep and Hanks deliver exactly what is expected of them, good performances but nothing they haven’t proven they can do before. Overall, it’s a good movie, but unless you have a MoviePass, you can catch this one when it hits Netflix
Featuring: Gorgeous shots of printing presses.
Smash and Nasty’s Oscar Thoughts
In addition to Best Picture, Meryl Streep picked up a nomination for actresses in a leading role. The Post is politically relevant Oscar fodder that landed Steven Spielberg his 17th Academy Award nomination. While we greatly enjoyed the film and the story told, we are absolutely sure it will not be crowned Best Picture this year.
Smash and Nasty go to the movies 