Frost/Nixon (B or 3/4 stars)
Tricky Dick tries to work his magic in 'Frost/Nixon', directed by Ron Howard. This film is a dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate TV interviews between British talk-show host/celebrity dilettante David Frost (Michael Sheen, of The Queen) & former president of the U.S. Richard Milhous Nixon (Frank Langella). The 1st 1/2 of the film focuses on the 2 power-hungry men as individuals, why they decide to conduct the interviews & preparations for it. The 2nd half of the film really lays on the drama; as the interviews shed more & more light on Nixon & his misgivings. The performances vary from being merely decent (Kevin Bacon) to superb (Langella). The film is handsomely mounted, the editing is praiseworthy, & the music score uses wonderful restraint. But there simply wasn't enough in the plot to get me jazzed up about it. It's solid (not rock-solid) & conventional (not daring).
Richard Nixon resigned on 8/9/74, 2 yrs. after the Watergate break-in that resulted in the cover-up conspiracy that ended his presidency. For 3 yrs. after being forced from office, he remained in exile in California; keeping a low profile from all forms of media. But all that changed in the summer of '77 when the cunning former prez agreed to sit for an all-inclusive $600,000 interview with Frost to confront questions of his time in office; as well as Nixon: The Man (which he appropriately snickers at). The reason Nixon agreed to this farcical sit-down in the 1st place is because he figured he could both rehabilitate his image & outfox the intellectual lightweight that was David Frost. Likewise, Frost's own team (Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, Matthew Macfadyen) had doubts about Frost's abilities.
You see, not only did Frost not have backing ($$) for the interviews, but he had very little political knowledge, and because of his sketchy reputation, his interview would be seen as a joke in journalism circles. How could he win against the juggernaut that was Tricky Dick? Over the course of their interviews, each man would reveal his own strengths, charms, insecurities, egos, & achilles-heels. And as the story goes, whenever on camera, Nixon was always susceptible to visual interrogation by the people tuning-in from their living rooms. Would Nixon be able to evade questions on his presidential disgraces? Could Frost summon enough bravery from inside his soul to go toe-to-toe with Nixon on the big questions? One source of 'bravery' would be from his unwavering girlfriend, Caroline (an underused Rebecca Hall). And another source would be from a fictionalized late-night phone conversation btwn. the 2 conflicted men. More on that later.
For those who watched these TV interviews, the BIG moment came when Frost prodded Nixon to admit to being involved with Watergate & to apologize to all Americans (quite the vindication). After '77, Frost went on to have a long, prosperous TV career (and he's still going strong). And, interestingly enough, though Nixon was initially ashamed, he rebounded by aiding Presidents Reagan, Bush & Clinton on foreign policy matters. The structure of this film is well edited; condensing 6 hours of interview footage into the juiciest cinematic moments. To expand this film beyond its roots (the stage), Ron Howard adds beautiful 70's set designs & an ocean-side villa to the proceedings. And I have to say, I'm glad for them. Without them, we'd be looking at 2 hours of talking heads (including a not so necessary faux-documentary motif where Frost's team divulges obvious back stories & other assorted testimonials).
Ron Howard deserves both compliments & criticisms for his "motifs". I compliment how he nails the 70's milieu. Everything from the costumes, hair styles & sets are authentic & gorgeous. The criticism is that the only things left for us are the talking heads; regurgitating both factual & (many) fictional lines. Michael Sheen boyishly grins, grimaces, & furls his brow very well. Langella lumbers & then verbally attacks when appropriate. It's fun to watch. But there is little substance/insight into these 2 characters' histories. I preferred the 1st 1/2 hour of negotiations & preparations for the interviews rather than the actual reenacted interviews themselves. I didn't feel the pulsating sense of urgency & tension btwn. both men. Howard tries to get us going (with multiple nose hair close-ups), but it felt overdone. That said, the climactic blows from both men 'do' have an effect. And the falsified late-night phone call from Nixon to Frost did entertain me.
Nixon's phone call felt more like a monologue than an actual drunken rant, but I digress. I get 'why' the scene was concocted. It was implemented to pose a question for us ... did Frost really knock-out Nixon with his wit? Or did Nixon dig his own grave by stirring Frost up? Fake scene or not, a great cinematic moment came from it. Regarding Langella: take Josh Brolin's W. performance and double the impact. His Nixon is full of humor, natural verve, overconfidence & deep emotion -- riveting stuff (especially in the final 20 min.). Watching him duel with Frost (trying to have the upper hand) is something to see; and the main reason I recommend the film. So, overall, 'Frost/Nixon' entertains without mesmerizing. It lacks some depth, but still manages to be classy; with respectable craftsmanship going on behind the camera. It's wonderfully paced. And who ever knew that a pair of Italian leather shoes could be such an engaging plot device?
Richard Nixon resigned on 8/9/74, 2 yrs. after the Watergate break-in that resulted in the cover-up conspiracy that ended his presidency. For 3 yrs. after being forced from office, he remained in exile in California; keeping a low profile from all forms of media. But all that changed in the summer of '77 when the cunning former prez agreed to sit for an all-inclusive $600,000 interview with Frost to confront questions of his time in office; as well as Nixon: The Man (which he appropriately snickers at). The reason Nixon agreed to this farcical sit-down in the 1st place is because he figured he could both rehabilitate his image & outfox the intellectual lightweight that was David Frost. Likewise, Frost's own team (Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, Matthew Macfadyen) had doubts about Frost's abilities.
You see, not only did Frost not have backing ($$) for the interviews, but he had very little political knowledge, and because of his sketchy reputation, his interview would be seen as a joke in journalism circles. How could he win against the juggernaut that was Tricky Dick? Over the course of their interviews, each man would reveal his own strengths, charms, insecurities, egos, & achilles-heels. And as the story goes, whenever on camera, Nixon was always susceptible to visual interrogation by the people tuning-in from their living rooms. Would Nixon be able to evade questions on his presidential disgraces? Could Frost summon enough bravery from inside his soul to go toe-to-toe with Nixon on the big questions? One source of 'bravery' would be from his unwavering girlfriend, Caroline (an underused Rebecca Hall). And another source would be from a fictionalized late-night phone conversation btwn. the 2 conflicted men. More on that later.
For those who watched these TV interviews, the BIG moment came when Frost prodded Nixon to admit to being involved with Watergate & to apologize to all Americans (quite the vindication). After '77, Frost went on to have a long, prosperous TV career (and he's still going strong). And, interestingly enough, though Nixon was initially ashamed, he rebounded by aiding Presidents Reagan, Bush & Clinton on foreign policy matters. The structure of this film is well edited; condensing 6 hours of interview footage into the juiciest cinematic moments. To expand this film beyond its roots (the stage), Ron Howard adds beautiful 70's set designs & an ocean-side villa to the proceedings. And I have to say, I'm glad for them. Without them, we'd be looking at 2 hours of talking heads (including a not so necessary faux-documentary motif where Frost's team divulges obvious back stories & other assorted testimonials).
Ron Howard deserves both compliments & criticisms for his "motifs". I compliment how he nails the 70's milieu. Everything from the costumes, hair styles & sets are authentic & gorgeous. The criticism is that the only things left for us are the talking heads; regurgitating both factual & (many) fictional lines. Michael Sheen boyishly grins, grimaces, & furls his brow very well. Langella lumbers & then verbally attacks when appropriate. It's fun to watch. But there is little substance/insight into these 2 characters' histories. I preferred the 1st 1/2 hour of negotiations & preparations for the interviews rather than the actual reenacted interviews themselves. I didn't feel the pulsating sense of urgency & tension btwn. both men. Howard tries to get us going (with multiple nose hair close-ups), but it felt overdone. That said, the climactic blows from both men 'do' have an effect. And the falsified late-night phone call from Nixon to Frost did entertain me.
Nixon's phone call felt more like a monologue than an actual drunken rant, but I digress. I get 'why' the scene was concocted. It was implemented to pose a question for us ... did Frost really knock-out Nixon with his wit? Or did Nixon dig his own grave by stirring Frost up? Fake scene or not, a great cinematic moment came from it. Regarding Langella: take Josh Brolin's W. performance and double the impact. His Nixon is full of humor, natural verve, overconfidence & deep emotion -- riveting stuff (especially in the final 20 min.). Watching him duel with Frost (trying to have the upper hand) is something to see; and the main reason I recommend the film. So, overall, 'Frost/Nixon' entertains without mesmerizing. It lacks some depth, but still manages to be classy; with respectable craftsmanship going on behind the camera. It's wonderfully paced. And who ever knew that a pair of Italian leather shoes could be such an engaging plot device?