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A story fell at the feet of the Washington Post’s first female publisher Kay Graham (Meryl Streep). The backdrop of The Post is Nixon’s presidency, pre-Watergate. The “big” event going on in the beginning is centered on one of Nixon’s daughters getting married, but no one sees what is coming. A big story about to drop.

The New York Times had obtained classified documents about the Vietnam War that are damning to presidents from Richard Nixon all the way back to Dwight D. Eisenhower. The Times ran material from those documents on their front page and Nixon was furious. Nixon then dragged the New York Times to court and barrs the paper from releasing any more confidential information about the war.

This is where the Washington Post comes in. Graham could decide to publish and print classified government secrets about the truth of the Vietnam war, but that could potentially put the paper she cherished at risk. The stakes are possibly going to jail, but if she doesn’t who will be the check on the President’s power and help the American people find the truth.  A court order is in place so if The Washington Post were to publish similar information from the same source they could be held in contempt of court and possibly jailed. 

There are competing stories with different viewpoints on what is right. Editor of the Post, Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), has to make tough decisions while giving input to Graham. His wife, Tony Bradlee (Sarah Paulson), also has power to influence Ben and show him what Graham is going through. Tony Bradlee is his rock and helps him see what Graham has to lose and how hard of a decision she has.

It is not easy to take movies back in time so seemingly, but Steven Spielberg did a remarkable job directing the movie. Spielberg has previously done a masterful job with other movies like the Schindler’s List  and Saving Private Ryan. He is supremely qualified to make stories about history come alive.

Like all Spielberg’s other films, costume design and setting of the film were spot on for the time period. The very start of the movie gave a snippet of the Vietnam War. After a vast majority of the movie was set in Washington DC. A powerful scene was when a hippie gave a writer a raggedy old box filled with the Pentagon Papers they were searching for. The staging was instrumental in making the movie feel real as well. In one scene, Bradlee had to make his way to the Post’s central office while going through many angry protesters. This scene was notable because the protestors looked and acted like authentic pacifists.

Many films based on a true story fail to keep watchers engaged, especially ones that are less glamorous, but this is not one of those movies. It has many suspenseful moments like Graham deciding whether or not to publish late at night and waiting for the Supreme Court decision. It was released at a time where it is important to remember no one is beyond reproach, as Nixon learned. Good fact based journalism is necessary especially in a world of of the “fake news”.

Everything flowed and there was seamless transition between scenes. When watching the movie, I felt can feel like a fly on the wall in the newsroom. I have no doubts this film and cast will be nominated and will win multiple awards. It was nominated for Best Picture by the Golden Globes and Academy Awards and individually Meryl Streep was nominated for Best Actress by both. Tom Hanks was nominated for Best Actor by the Golden Globes but snubbed by the Academy Awards.. In an age of expensive movie tickets and blockbuster flops, this movie is above the rest and will keep people interested and engaged.

When the movie ended it alluded to a breaking news story right on the horizon. It showed a police officer radioing a break in at the Watergate Hotel. After watching The Post a great way to continue in history would be to watch All The President’s Men (1976). The movie focuses on two Washington Post reporters who break the news on the Watergate scandal which put Nixon’s presidency on the rocks.

*****/5