Rotten Tomatoes
Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

The Postman

Play trailer Poster for The Postman R 1997 2h 57m Drama Action Adventure Sci-Fi Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
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).
Watch on Fandango at Home Stream Now

Where to Watch

The Postman

The Postman

What to Know

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.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
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 Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
tj W @RT09439556 Apr 5 I think is a great film/story and great directoring by costner i do thank people need to give it a naver watch See more Daniel F @RT14036283 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 @RT06493552 Nov 21 I liked this movie. Got panned pretty bad. See more Read all reviews
The Postman

My Rating

Read More Read Less WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW POST RATING

Cast & Crew

View All

Kevin Costner

Director

Kevin Costner

The Postman

Will Patton

Gen. Bethlehem

Larenz Tate

Ford Lincoln Mercury

Olivia Williams

Abby

James Russo

Idaho

More Like This

View All
Eyes Wide Shut 77% 74% Eyes Wide Shut Watchlist Sunchaser 17% 41% Sunchaser Watchlist Welcome to Sarajevo 80% 74% Welcome to Sarajevo Watchlist The Locusts 20% 46% The Locusts Watchlist Instinct 27% 67% Instinct Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More
View All

The Postman

The Postman (1997) The Postman (1997) The Postman (1997) View more photos

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
Most Popular at Home Now