We’ve talked about stakes, we’ve talked about duty, and we’ve talked about conflict. We’ve talked about all of these at length and how they lead to a bold and memorable performance. So it comes as no surprise that we touch on these again at the end of this journey to highlight what makes a standout performance. And yet there is another component, time. You need time to craft a role and make it work. Let’s revisit a movie from a new lens as we end this saga.
The Post was a movie told too fast. It’s a big story of a lot of major implications and requires a lot of pieces of information to fully craft. In the history of director Steven Spielberg’s filmography it is a middle of the pack result, mostly bolstered by the acting talent laced throughout this piece and keeping tension through an invisible threat of governmental oppression.
All of this is what contributes to Meryl Streep’s final Oscar nomination. Her work as Katharine Graham is laced with tension as she wrestles with the balance of duty. Duty to her company and investors, duty to her government and allies within it, and duties to her country and the people who are not being informed of truth. And no matter what choice she makes, there will be enemies and those enemies could do irreparable damage to her work and life.
We often think of tension as a high stakes thing, and indeed it can be but there is something more relatable about a person taking a risk within the everyday action of their lives. It creates tension and stakes without having a full life or death situation, at least on the surface. Life and death are not just physical.
We live by work, we die by reputation, and we must balance those things delicately. If we cannot then we will crash and burn. What Streep has to portray within her work as Graham is the struggle of personal work and reputation versus the duty to inform the American people of truth, thus undermining the government and her friends within it. It’s personal reputation versus professional duty, and in the end, she takes a major risk at great cost. To make that interesting is a challenge in how limited her time is.
Streep does not have as wealth of time in this movie. She’s given little to no time in the time she does have to showcase her full conflict, but she does it as well as she can in that time, however he story is the least consequential as a result of the framing. Is it a good performance? Certainly. But there is something missing in the end. In telling its story, the movie leaves Streep behind and ultimately fails to let her shine as she has before.
So let’s breakdown this performance.
My criteria for judging each performance is as follows:
Intentions and Choices – What was Meryl doing as a performer and did it come across in a way that was interesting and compelling?
Physicality and Vocal Choices – Was there a select set of choices for Meryl’s posture, gestures, rhythms, accents, and all other physical aspects, and did they help add to the character or distract from it?
Character Backstory – Were there choices Meryl made that showed us secrets beyond the script or screen? Did those choices add to her work or were they something that took us out of the present story.
Stand Out Moments – What scenes from the movie worked the best, or worst, and how did those reflect on Meryl’s performance?
Overall Movie Quality – How is the movie outside of Meryl’s performance? Is it a brilliant work because of her, in spite of her, or is her performance the only thing that makes the movie redeemable?
So let’s break down Katherine Graham in The Post:
Intentions and Choices – She does well for what time she has, and you can see a lot of talent and skill in those moments, but the journey feels rushed and lacking in true time to work as it should. It’s ultimately just falling short of what it could be. (7/10)
Physicality and Vocal Choices – Streep isn’t doing anything special. It feels like she’s just settled into the role herself and wants to get the character but not live in the character, and that ultimately makes the role less memorable. (7/10)
Character Backstory – Her relationships and reactions to others do actually have a lot of power in this portrayal. She gives the work a strong edge by showing the history in those interactions and adding to her stakes through them. (8/10)
Stand Out Moments – The conflicting moment when Graham decides to publish the story about Vietnam, knowing how it will affect her, and everyone else, is a strong moment of conflict portrayed subtlety. It’s hard to fully express but it works so well in that moment and Streep gives that tension more than anything else. (9/10)
Overall Movie Quality – The Post is fine. It’s not a standout in any sense but it does it’s job, tells its story, and ultimately isn’t too much in any direction. It could have been more but it’s not bad. (7/10)
Total Score: 37/50
Current Ranking:
The Devil Wears Prada
Kramer vs. Kramer
Doubt
The Deer Hunter
Postcards From the Edge
Sophie’s Choice
The Iron Lady
One True Thing
Julie & Julia
Silkwood
The Bridges of Madison County
Ironweed
Florence Foster Jenkins
The Post
August: Osage County
Into the Woods
Adaptation.
Music of the Heart
The French Lieutenant’s Woman
A Cry in the Dark
Out of Africa
And that’s it. Final rap up comes next week and I’ll explain the plan for this space going forward but I can say now it’s been incredible seeing these movies, even the less good ones, and learning that Meryl Streep is a talent unlike so many others.
So until then, as I always say, thanks for taking the time to get Ploominated!
Ploominate 