So - it is a new era for movie experiences. Most cinemas, where I live, have plush leather recliners, the usual sugar-laden foods and beverages, popcorn as well as the option to buy an alcoholic beverage. So, basically a patron is paying to have a comfortable communal "at home, living room" experience. 
When I went to the movies with my friends, to watch The Post, the first thing we did after finding our assigned seats was to adjust them to "nap position." This was great for me since I recently had surgery on my foot and need to elevate it as much as possible.  We had our sugar treats and popcorn and were ready to be passively entertained.
I can only imagine that being a teenager and going on a date to the movies is a completely different experience now than it was when I was a teenager. Really - I don't want to imagine it.
Although the pacing was even, but a bit slow, and the movie was poignant - I fell asleep for about 15 minutes. Mortified with my lack of analytical engagement and the audacity to sleep in a public place, I adjusted my mindset and focused. Ten minutes later, my friend next to me was snoring and I didn't feel so bad.
My friends and I were the last ones in the theater because we like to read the credits. The ushers usually come in before the credits are done so they can clean up for the next show. As we talked with one another about falling asleep in the comfortable chairs, the usher said, "Yes, it's the best $12 nap anyone could have. You'd be surprised how many people I have had to wake up after a movie is over."
This was an eyeopener for me. Going to the show now has all of the plush plusses of being at home except the pause and replay. I don't know about you, but I can stay at home and nap for free. Viewers beware - come well-rested, and/or caffeinated, use the recline position strategically, and be determined  to get your $12 worth.

 The Post is not heavy-handed with social commentary on feminism or demonizing any of the presidents complicit in the deceptive decisions of the Vietnam War and it doesn't bury the audience in details. Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep perform their roles with the right amount of emotion and director, Steven Spielberg doesn't employ the usual political intrigue tropes of black vans, cat and mouse danger in an underground parking lot with a car skidding off into a menacing night.

The Post is an allegory, for such a time as this, when the integrity of news reporters and outlets is being attacked for taking a critical view of political leadership.  There is a clear wiki-leaks conversation embedded in the film as well as the very real concern over the financial solvency of news outlets and the sometimes dubious position reporters and outlets find themselves in when they confuse authentic friendship with staged acquaintances for news stories. 

Yet, for all of that delicate balance - it lacked the necessary tension for it to be riveting and emotionally engaging.   To be honest, I fell asleep off and on - I was bored.  The pacing was soooooo slow and the music a bit too melodramatic, although there were a few nice camera angles.

The Post is a didactic pledge of allegiance to journalism in its purist form and as a call to action it succeeds. This is what made me post a must-see on Facebook. However, my friends and I took a picture in front of the drab poster for The Post and the black, white and grey captures the tone of the movie.

Despite my less that enthusiastic response to the movie, it does remind me that during the time period the movie was made neither FB, nor blogs existed, but the attempt to quell or manipulate the truth is older than Machiavelli.