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The Postman

Play trailer Poster for The Postman R 1997 2h 57m Drama Action Adventure Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
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14% Tomatometer 42 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter 50,000+ Ratings
Years after a major global conflict has left the United States in dystopian disarray, a nomadic traveler who becomes known as the Postman (Kevin Costner) wanders through towns in the Northwest, delivering old mail. Thanks to the Postman's presence, people begin to believe that the U.S. government has been restored. During his travels, the Postman becomes involved with the lovely Abby (Olivia Williams) and clashes with the dictatorial Gen. Bethlehem (Will Patton).
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The Postman

The Postman

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Critics Consensus

A massive miscalculation in self-mythologizing by director and star Kevin Costner, The Postman would make for a goofy good time if it weren't so fatally self-serious.

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Critics Reviews

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Paul Tatara CNN.com 02/16/2018
It's about as inspiring as a movie about a vengeful meter reader. Go to Full Review
Mike Clark USA Today 01/09/2018
1.5/4
Star/director Kevin Costner's futuristic folly The Postman is so loopy that, for a while, one wants to shield it from a critical storm that has already begun. Go to Full Review
Todd McCarthy Variety 07/06/2010
The sweeping movement of the tale across half a continent, and the frequent action that facilitates it, is conveyed in a majestic and for the most part exciting manner. Go to Full Review
Joe Leydon The Moving Picture Show 05/14/2024
In synopsis, The Postman may sound like a blueprint for a Saturday Night Live comedy sketch. On screen, however, the weirdly compelling plot, taken from a novel by David Brin, is all the more affecting for being played perfectly straight. Go to Full Review
Eddie Harrison film-authority.com 03/10/2024
3/5
The Postman is probably worth a revival as a film that was laughed off the screen, but got plenty right in retrospect... a sci-fi film that’s less about machines and technology than ideas, and that’s as unfashionable now in 2024 as it was in 1997’s 2013. Go to Full Review
Matt Brunson Film Frenzy 12/18/2019
1.5/4
Costner the director lavishes all sorts of attention on Costner the actor, from laughably reverential dialogue ("You give out hope like it was candy in your pocket") to loving close-ups to gauzy slow-motion montages. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Daniel F Dec 27 This is a great movie. It's got flaws, but I always found it to be a very entertaining, post-apocalyptic epic with a twist that most other movies like this don't have. It's very inspiring and I like the patriotic aspect of "what if we had to rebuild America" See more Derek H @sudo_nymh Dec 27 It is unbelievable that so many so-called professional critics panned this movie. No one is saying it's Oscar worthy, but to assign it a 14% approval rating says far more about the critics than this movie. One of the reasons that the critics panned this movie was because Kevin Costner produced, directed AND had the nerve to actually star in it. So what? He wanted to see himself in a fantasy. Most of us would do the same if we had the same wherewithal that Kevin does. With the exception of Roger Ebert, NO ONE ever erected a statue in honor of a critic. My rating is probably higher than it deserves to counter the undeserved ratings. See more Jelisije J @jjosifovic Dec 23 A very disjointed film where I feel that with a better director and script writer that this film could have been an instant classic for Kevin Costner. See more L B @cwcnurse Dec 20 Powerful message, packaged in moving scenes by good actors. See more JAY S Nov 21 I liked this movie. Got panned pretty bad. See more Geoff W Oct 31 The Postman I think was a very underrated movie for the time, but in the coming years its message will become more prevalent. Without spoiling anything, but the time the film ends, its 2043. It's rare to see a movie of this age have a shelf life that long ,because in reality, with the rise of AI, and looming civil wars - it is not all that unforseeable that this could potentially be a realistic future. One which all technology is abandoned, communications are scarce and miniature factions have broken out across the globe in clandestine type villages, mimmicking the age of the old west etc. Horseback becomes the norm because of the lack of petroleum, and so on. This movie is really not as unbelievable as it seems. If they had perhaps filmed it in more urban locations, maybe the message would have been stronger. See more Read all reviews
The Postman

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Movie Info

Synopsis Years after a major global conflict has left the United States in dystopian disarray, a nomadic traveler who becomes known as the Postman (Kevin Costner) wanders through towns in the Northwest, delivering old mail. Thanks to the Postman's presence, people begin to believe that the U.S. government has been restored. During his travels, the Postman becomes involved with the lovely Abby (Olivia Williams) and clashes with the dictatorial Gen. Bethlehem (Will Patton).
Director
Kevin Costner
Producer
Kevin Costner, Steve Tisch, Jim Wilson
Screenwriter
David Brin, Eric Roth, Brian Helgeland
Production Co
Tig Productions, Warner Brothers
Rating
R
Genre
Drama, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
May 1, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA)
$17.6M
Runtime
2h 57m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Digital, DTS, SDDS
Aspect Ratio
35mm
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