In case you forgot, Steven Spielberg has a new movie coming out this month, and it stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks and tells a story about the importance of the First Amendment at a time when it seems like it’s facing its greatest threat. That’s a gold-plated sentence if there ever was one, but like always we must wait to hear what people have to say about it before we jump to any conclusions about its awards chances. But now is the time to jump, as the wave of first reactions has hit and, as expected, the movie is Spielberg, Streep and Hanks doing what they do best. Though a few critics, including our own Chris Bumbray, say it’s not the best work from the director, it’s still a terrific addition to his massive mountain of achievements. The cast is also being praised, and surprise surprise, Streep will most likely earn another nomination at the Oscars, bringing her total up to 136. In fact, some pundits are already going out to say she has a great chance to win this year, bringing her Oscar win count to 146. I don’t know how that works mathematically, but it makes sense when talking about Streep.
Check out the reactions below, and the review embargo is lifted December 6.
What I gather from this is that the movie is more BRIDGE OF SPIES Spielberg and less SCHINDLER'S LIST or even LINCOLN. On top of that, mix in a little SPOTLIGHT and you have THE POST. In terms of Oscar chances that makes this a serious threat at the Oscars, as SPOTLIGHT won Best Picture despite not being the most memorable film on the slate, coasting off a terrific ensemble cast (the actor's branch is the largest branch of the Academy), a thorough, heartfelt script and a timely message. Clearly, THE POST has all that and more, and we can expect it to have a firm place on the awards circuit. Did you really expect anything less from this trio?
THE POST hits limited theaters December 22 and then wide on January 12.