Blank Check with Griffin & David The Postman with Emily St. James
Jul 28, 2024
Joining the conversation is Emily St. James, a film critic and cultural commentator celebrated for her sharp insights on cinema. She discusses the absurdities of Kevin Costner's 1997 flop, 'The Postman,' highlighting its bizarre plot twists—from a mule performing Shakespeare to themes of hope through the lens of communication. Emily also reflects on Kevin Costner’s impact on filmmaking, alongside a humorous critique of the film’s pacing and character dynamics, all while blending personal anecdotes with cultural commentary.
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The Postman Needed A More Comedic Director
- The hero’s deception needed comedic energy because he is an actor bluffing his way into a heroic identity.
- A director such as Joe Dante, Sam Raimi, or George Miller could have made Costner’s seriousness a useful counterbalance rather than a deadening force.
A Classroom Post Office Made Mail Feel Magical
- David Sims remembers turning his elementary-school classroom into a functioning post office with handmade stamps, envelopes, prices, and student mail carriers.
- Emily St. James recalls relatives preserving wartime letters, reinforcing the episode’s point about mail as intimate memory.
The Postman Misses Its Best Actor Joke
- The film’s best premise arrives when a washed-up actor discovers that impersonating a postman gives people a reason to believe in a shared future.
- The performance fails to sell the transformation because Costner never embraces the character’s bluffing, opportunistic energy.