The Post shows that the power of the press is still relevant in a day of fake news

Movie Title:      The Post

Grade:  B+

Rating: PG-13,

In a Nutshell: Spielberg, Hanks, Streep.  Powerhouse combination that reminds us why they’re the masters of their trade. 

Surprisingly, this is the first time all three have worked together on a film. 

Oscar bait?  Yeah, probably.  It has already received several nominations by the Golden Globes and National Board of Review.  Is an Academy Award next?  Probably not.  We’ll see.

                                        

Tips for parents: 

• Children and teens will be bored out of their minds.
• Some profanity.
• As more and more traditional newspapers die a slow death due to the internet, kids might think the film is irrelevant, but there is much to be learned about the Constitution as the Pentagon Papers are introduced to this younger generation.  As talk of “fake news” has become a part of everyday conversation, director Steven Spielberg raced to finish this film with unprecedented speed.  Clearly, he thought the content was extremely relevant.  Spielberg thought it was ironic that the pendulum has swung in journalism from ’71 to ’17.

Uplifting theme: 

• Women in  business.  The film is dedicated to a woman, Nora Ephron, who helped  uncover the Watergate scandal in 1972.
• Freedom of the press vs. government security
• “The Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy.  The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.”  Justice Black’s opinion
• Power, politics, truth

                                            

Things I liked:

• I loved how the last scene bleeds into the Watergate scandal.
• Nixon’s actual voice is used when he’s talking from the Oval office.
• Interested in this topic?  You’ll want to see the movie All The President's Men.  In fact, the last scene of this movie is almost shot for shot the same as the first scene in All The President's Men.
• I always get a kick out of Bradley Whitford in everything.
• Usually the comic relief, it was interesting to see David Cross as a serious journalist.

Things I didn’t like:

• The first half of the movie moves very slowly.
• It's a bit heavy-handed.
• It can get confusing with lots of names to try to keep straight.

Funny lines:

• “It must be precious cargo.” – Flight attendant

“Yeah.  It’s just government secrets.” – Bob Odenkirk (Howard Simons)

Interesting lines:

• “The only way to protect the right to publish is to publish.” – Ben Bradlee   (Tom Hanks)
• “I always wanted to be part of a small rebellion.” – Bob Odenkirk
• “Whatever happens tomorrow, we are not a little paper anymore.” – Ben Bradlee 
• “You know what my husband used to say about the newspaper?  He called it the first rough draft of history.” -  Kay Graham  (Meryl Streep)

Other good movies about the freedom and power of the press:

             

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