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Visual:		7.0
Audio:		8.0
Acting:		8.0
Writing:		8.0
Score:		8.0

Director(s):	Ron Howard
Writer(s):	Peter Morgan
Starring:	Frank Langella • Kevin Bacon • Sam Rockwell • Michael Sheen • Oliver Platt
Genre:	Drama
Website:	http://www.frostnixon.net/
Release Date:	December 05, 2008
Rated:

Hey, a good Ron Howard movie. Been a while, hasn’t it? Translating the acclaimed play by Peter Morgan into film form, Howard shies away from the usual sentimental cheese that he injects into his “true story” films, going for a low key approach that lets the strength of the screenplay pushes through.

Based on a stage play based on an actual TV interview, Frost/Nixon is half political drama and half reenactment; but it’s not about Richard Nixon’s politics—or even about Watergate—though those are the cards being played on the table. The game, on the other hand, is all about the business of television and the politics of fame. When we are introduced to Richard Nixon (Frank Langella), he’s writing a book about his life and has reached a point of frustration from being reduced to speaking at dinner parties for cash. “I didn’t want to take any questions about Watergate!” he complains to his ex-military aide confidante Jack Brennan (Kevin Bacon) when the crowd ignored his accomplishments and pried for scandalous scoop instead. The man is known for Watergate, and only Watergate, because fame only recognizes one part of you and it’s only that one part that defines you for your entire life. Similarly, when David Frost (Michael Sheen) had the idea of doing an in-depth interview with the former president, his own producer John Birt (Matthew Macfadyen) laughs at him, every television network shows him the door, and no major advertiser would jump on board. Simply because David Frost is a hob-knobbing talk show host who interviewed The Bee Gees, and that’s all he should ever be.

When he was offered the job of directing the film, Ron Howard refused to accept unless he could cast Langella and Sheen to reprise their roles from the stage play. It’s probably the best decision he could’ve made. The performances in the film are nothing short of exhilarating, with Langella’s Nixon showing off all the traits that makes Tricky Dick a recognizable figure without falling into a showy impression. They make this clear by having a scene where Frost’s investigative team joke around in their hotel room and Bob Zelnick (Oliver Platt) does a Nixon impression that’s spot-on for a comic take, but not the powerfully human way Langella does him. Langella’s Nixon is someone you can believe was a United States president, with a presence so overwhelming that even fervent Nixon-hater James Reston, Jr. (Sam Rockwell) can’t help but shake his hand with his jaw hanging.

The decision to turn it into a pseudo-documentary is an unnecessary misstep, as the fake interviews really do nothing to improve the narrative. Howard’s direction is still very much as maudlin as ever, but one advantage Frost/Nixon has over Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind and Cinderella Man—all potentially great stories devolved into backpatting tawdriness—is that it’s a story not driven by plot or even characters. It’s a story driven by a duel, living up to its Fight Night-inspired title. Regardless of the individual characterizations of Frost and Nixon (both of which are just fine), it’s when they occupy the screen together that the film really knocks it out of the park.

It’s much more of a boxing movie than Cinderella Man was. There’s the build up when Frost and Nixon first meet at Nixon’s California compound to settle the money, extending a challenge to each other that’s very much like agreeing to a duel to the death, both knowing that the interview could only end with one of them in ruins: either Richard Nixon is exposed as the crook he claimed not to be, or David Frost’s career ends with him as a joke and losing all of his money. The interview reenactment is a blast to watch, with Nixon and Frost psyching each other out before the cameras roll, like fighters taunting before the bell, and then dragging the opponent into their rhythm as the fight goes on. Aside from “I’m not a crook,” Nixon’s other famous line is “When the President does it, that means that it is not illegal.” It’s impressive how much impact that moment still carries in the film even when you know it’s coming, thanks to how expertly the interview builds up to that moment. When the quote hits, it’s the right hook we’ve all been waiting for. Ring the bell.