Frost/Nixon
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Movie Reviews of Frost/Nixon
Movie Review: Two men, willing to risk everything, in a riviting competition of wills
Summary: 5 Stars
This historic drama based on the famous interviews by David Frost and former President Nixon is excellent in every way. The acting is superb with Frank Langella performing the part of a lifetime. The film dramatizes the 1977 interviews with most of the film devoted to the behind the scenes strategizing for advantage. Exceptional actors, intelligent script, suspenseful and beautifully edited direction all go to make a fine film. However, this film moves beyond that for it moves into a psychological analysis of Nixon in the first years of his disgrace and reveals that he was aware of his misdeeds and that he must take responsibility for his actions and the political philosophy that he nourished within his heart throughout his political career and which tainted the White House staff and their approach to governance.
Richard Nixon was the only president to resign while in office rather than face a certain impeachment by the House of Representatives. He was soon pardoned by President Jerald Ford and moved into retirement at this compound in San Clemente California. Thus, a popular television talk show host, David Frost, was not seen as a threat and Nixon was willing to participate in the interviews because he thought he could out maneuver the playboy television personality and he also was paid $500,000 for the 4 interviews (2 hours each). Michael Sheen plays David Frost and he captures the complexity of Frost's personality and ambitions and eventual insight into Richard Nixon that lead to the outstanding admission by Nixon that he had conducted activities that were probably criminal and that he had let the people of the United States down in his conduct as President.
Frost believed that the words of admission and sorrow from the President would be a healing message and that it was possible to bring the President to this admission. But President Nixon was a brilliant strategist with the ability to turn any question into an opportunity to appear wise, Presidential, strategic, victimized, intelligent, insightful, considerate, and kind. He was a master at turning a negative question into a 15 minute response that showed him in his best light. The film is excellent at capturing the tension and suspense as each interview is totally dominated by President Nixon and David Frost is continually left licking his wounds, never penetrating beyond the facade presented by President Nixon.
The film is also about Frost's desire to recharge his career after having his talk show dropped by a major network but he soon finds that he personally must finance much of the production costs of the interviews. The contract between Frost and Nixon stipulated that Nixon would not be given the questions in advance and would have no editing authority. But Nixon was an absolute master in the art of staying on message, turning any hostile question into an opportunity to look Presidential. He may have accepted the conditions because he knows Frost to be a woman chasing playboy celebrity and not know as a political journalist. This would allow Nixon to shape history to his own liking. Yet, the underlying issue for Frost was healing and not blame, and this may have been his greatest strength in dealing with the President and in the end it is this theme that touches Nixon's core and in so doing, reveals something about the President that is grand.
Ron Howard was brilliant to emphasize this theme. For if Frost had interviewed Nixon with the outrageous bully strategies that is so often seen on television today, Nixon would have been an able fighter and the American public would have gone away thinking that the battle was a draw and that this was politics as usual. It was the strategy of seeking admission of misdeeds and then moving the President to state that he had let himself, the office of the Presidency, and the American people down that changed the equation. It is to the President's credit that he becomes a willing participant in this strategy for it took incredible strength of character to abandon every self protective instinct and to rise to a healing apology that was so needed by the nation.
The film is excellent, for it reveals that underneath political battles and strategies lies vulnerability and that fear of revealing that vulnerability can lead to great misjudgments but that moving beyond and through the vulnerability is healing. There may be those who think I overly praise Richard Nixon, but I don't. I only say that the man was capable of growth and insight even in his dark defeat and his instinctual connection with the American people guided his voluntary decision to admit he had let himself and the American people down.
Movie Review: Timely & Surprisingly Strong Adaptation of the Story Behind the Frost/Nixon Interviews.
Summary: 5 Stars
Ron Howard brings the stage play "Frost/Nixon" by Peter Morgan to the screen, retaining the two lead actors in their roles as British talk show host David Frost and former American President Richard Nixon, whom Frost interviewed for 6 hours of television in 1977. When the President resigned on the heels of the Watergate scandal in 1974, David Frost (Michael Sheen) thought an interview with Nixon would make great television. President Nixon (Frank Langella) thought it would give him an opportunity to say his piece without having to answer tough questions. But the television networks weren't interested, because Nixon was being paid. It took years for Frost to pull together enough money to syndicate the show himself. The famous interviews aired in May 1977 to great success.
"Frost/Nixon" is about why the people involved were so committed to the project as much as it is about the interviews. The screenplay fleshes out the supporting cast, the research teams of both Frost and Nixon, more than the play. It replaces the play's narration with interview-style footage of the personnel that gives the impression of being made for a documentary years after the action took place. So the narrative thread and a pseudo-documentary combine to tell the story. Frost and Nixon are both ambitious men from modest backgrounds. Frost is a showman by trade, not viewed as weighty enough to interview the disgraced former President. Even his researchers Bob Zelnick (Oliver Platt) and Jim Reston (Sam Rockwell) have doubts. And Frost can't raise the money.
Nixon's self-righteous and intensely loyal Chief of Staff Jack Brennan (Kevin Bacon) is confident that Frost is no match for Nixon's experience and intellect, and this will be a chance for the former President to rehabilitate his image. Kevin Bacon is fantastic, as he makes the audience empathize with a man whom we probably don't like very much. For better or worse, Richard Nixon is posthumously being defined by movies and television, and I'm sure that Frank Langella's revelatory performance in "Frost/Nixon" will be one of the defining images, along with Anthony Hopkins' in Oliver Stone's Nixon.
The real Frost/Nixon interviews took place in 12 sessions, not the 4 we see in the film. The content of the interviews in the film are nearly the real thing, but I'm not sure how much the rest of the story has been embellished. Frost's struggles in the early interviews seem to have been exaggerated, though I gather that his financial difficulties were not. Nevertheless, "Frost/Nixon" is a thoughtful exploration, not only of the character of Richard Nixon, but the reductive power of television, the motives of its participants, and a timely commentary on the abuse of power by public officials. I'm impressed with Ron Howard's ability to adapt the play so effectively to the screen. He is often criticized for avoiding edgy material or simply not being good at it, but "Frost/Nixon" defies that perception.
The DVD (Universal 2009): There are 3 featurettes, 7 deleted scenes (22 min), and a feature commentary with director Ron Howard. "The Making of Frost/Nixon" (22 min) is presented in 4 parts: The Cast, in which the cast talk about the real people they play, and Ron Howard talks about creating an ensemble cast, The Costumes, discussed by designer Daniel Orlando, The Production Design, with Michael Corenblith, The Shooting Style, with cinematographer Salvatore Totino. "The Nixon Library" (6 min) interviews John H. Taylor, the Executive Director of the Library. In "The Real Interview" (7 1/2 min), cast and crew recall their experiences watching the interview on TV in 1977. The audio commentary by Ron Howard is fairly constant. He talks about his enthusiasm for the play, fleshing out the supporting characters, filming in 38 days, some stylistic elements, the real people whom he talked to before portraying them on film, and more. Subtitles for the film available in English SDH, Spanish, and French. Dubbing available in Spanish and French.
Movie Review: Say what you will about director Ron Howard...
Summary: 5 Stars
But personally, I think it's great that he wouldn't take on this adaptation of Peter Morgan's Tony-nominated play Frost/Nixon -- which I had always thought sounded cool, but never had a chance in hell of catching in London or on Broadway -- unless its stars, Frank Langella (a fine character actor from such films as Good Night and Good Luck) and Michael Sheen (whom I adored as Prime Minister Tony Blair in The Queen, which was also written by Morgan), were allowed to re-create their respective roles as disgraced ex-President Richard Milhous Nixon and British TV personality David Frost for the big screen. Though not a powerhouse epic like Oliver Stone's Nixon (1995), there's something to be said for a solid, modest piece of old-fashioned craftsmanship.
This film's first hour, covering the lengthy period of dealmaking and preparations that led Frost to tape a series of four syndicated TV interviews with Nixon in March 1977, weaves an intriguing web of differing agendas and motivations among its characters: Frost learns of Nixon's 1974 resignation in the wake of the Watergate scandal and, longing to boost his career and be taken more seriously, hopes to score a ratings-bonanza interview with him; his producer pal, John Birt (Matthew MacFadyen), expresses doubts but lends support anyway; Nixon decides to participate after learning that Frost will be paying him good money; Nixon's loyal chief of staff, Jack Brennan (Kevin Bacon) encourages him further, believing that Frost will be just a lightweight with "puffball" questions, and that Nixon can easily use the opportunity to repair his public image; and when Frost hires author/professor James Reston, Jr. (chameleonic Sam Rockwell) and TV newsman Bob Zelnick (lively scene-stealer Oliver Platt) to assist him with research, Reston's furious desire to "give Richard Nixon the trial he never had" makes Birt understandably nervous, while Frost is rather moved by the man's passion.
In the second hour, the sparks really start to fly, not only before the cameras, but behind the scenes as well: Zelnick and Reston lay into Frost for not being forceful enough with Nixon at first, have little patience for Frost's jet-set playboy lifestyle, and dismiss him as a mere "talk-show host"; Frost, already losing confidence in his abilities as a journalist, learns he may be jeopardizing his own career back home; and Brennan, fearing that questions about Watergate and the Vietnam War will hurt Nixon's reputation even more, becomes fiercely protective of Nixon -- to the point of trying to interfere with Frost.
The story climaxes with Nixon drunk-dialing Frost not long before the last taping -- pure conjecture on the part of the screenwriter, but the phone call is such a great character-revealing moment (suggesting that the two are kindred spirits, men from humble beginnings who must work extra hard to prove their worth in a society that looks down on them) that I can't imagine the film working without it. Langella, completely disappearing into his role, does a commendable job of humanizing the often-vilified Nixon, and Sheen is a revelation, tapping into Frost's hidden sadness and insecurity as he tries to put his best face forward and enjoy the perks of his celebrity status; both actors, rather than playing to the back row as they most likely would have on-stage, wisely scale down their performances for the intimacy of film (indeed, the power of the close-up proves to be a major point in this story).
In this day and age, with presidential candidates and other politicians often turning up on programs like The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Late Night With David Letterman, and Saturday Night Live, it seems almost quaint that the televised Nixon interviews were seen as such a big deal. Ultimately, this film is uniformly well-acted, witty (a scene in which Platt does an impression of Langella-as-Nixon is especially priceless), and a fascinating exploration of the growing relationship between showbiz and politics.
Movie Review: A dual to the death...
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't think a single movie this decade as surprised me (in a good way) as much as `Frost/Nixon' did. I mean, I walked into this having almost zero expectations. Well, to be honest, I had expectations, they just weren't very high. Truth be told, I love a good biopic. On the other hand, I kind of hate the news and so the idea of a biopic centered around an interview put me off almost immediately. Next, I'm not really into politics, like at all. I wasn't around in the 70's and so I really don't know much about Watergate at all. From the previews I got a very hammy and stagy vibe from Oscar nominee Frank Langella, and the very thought to Ron Howard directing this just rubbed me the wrong way. This film seemed to need a more cynical touch, and Howard's schmaltzy sentiment, while effective in biopics about washed up boxers and schizophrenic geniuses, would have been distracting and inappropriate here.
So, with all that said, I really expected this to be fairly bad.
Instead, what I received here was a brilliantly constructed exercise in organic tension that kept me completely engrossed from start to finish. I mean, this movie really never lets up. Taking a different approach than one I was expecting, `Frost/Nixon' adds layers of creativity to keep the audience intrigued. I loved the idea of splicing in faux documentary interviews with the cast. I also loved how this film had elements of almost sporadic construction that was not something I was used to seeing from Howard. With a subject as straightforward as the Frost/Nixon interviews, Howard handled things in a way that made things appear bigger than maybe they were. He added so much external tension that we were on edge throughout; not something I was anticipating.
And how about that cast!
When one thinks of an ensemble they usually think of a big cast with lots of screen time. Look at `Gosford Park' or `Nine' for recent examples. What I love so much about `Frost/Nixon' is that, while it has two clear lead performances, the supporting cast truly uses the most of their small parts. Everyone comes together to create a unified and cohesive representation of the time and the circumstances. Some don't fair as well as others (I found Rockwell to be a tad overdone and that stagy feeling I had when watching the trailers did rear its head with Langella at times) but some of the cast really nailed things. Kevin Bacon, Matthew Macfadyen, Rebecca Hall and especially Michael Sheen just completely understood their roles and delivered magnificently.
Ron Howard was the biggest surprise for me. I was really afraid that he was going to do exactly what Rockwell's character James Reston was afraid Frost was going to do; overly sympathize a very unsympathetic subject. Instead, Howard totally understood how important it was to convey the facts as they were, not watering down anything or manipulating anything. Sure, he laid out the human emotions needed to make both Frost and Nixon become real to us (we see the loneliness in Nixon's eyes, which was needed to make him human to us) but he never went overboard, which he could have easily done. In fact, in the final frames when Frost says goodbye to Nixon, a part where Howard would have had full opportunity to lather on the sentiment, Howard steadied his hand and crafted a respectful and poignant conclusion to his already near-impeccable film.
I don't think there are enough words to convey how pleasantly surprised I am with this extremely well crafted biopic.
Movie Review: Superb film ...but how accurate is it?
Summary: 5 Stars
Frost/Nixon is a David and Goliath story. David Frost, a talk show host who started his professional life as a satirist, decides to take on the champion of chicanery, "Tricky Dick," in a round of interviews that may finally extract a confession of complicity in the Watergate cover-up. To do it justice, the film is an absolute marvel. Frank Langella does a truly gorgeous performance as a Nixon "ravaged" by the weight of his own political isolation and ultimate complicity in a crime. And Michael Sheen, as David Frost, is perfect as the man hovering on the edge of bankruptcy, personal failure, and professional ridicule. Although the beginning of the film was rather slow, the build-up to the final interview was fraught with an almost unbearable tension. It was, in every respect, an enthralling, revealing and beautifully enacted film. The fact that it did not correspond with what I remembered of Nixon hardly lessened its impact. However, it did raise a question: Was Ron Howard's film true?
After watching the original interviews (which I highly recommend), I have come to the conclusion that "yes", the film was true, and "no" it wasn't. What is clear from the Frost Nixon interviews filmed in 1977 is that they are also a David and Goliath story, but with the roles reversed. Frost--self-possessed, confident, and completely unrelenting--is not David, but Goliath. It is Richard Nixon--squirming like a worm on a hook, stammering, and wiping his upper lip--who comes up short. Far from Langella's poised and deadly Nixon, the real man comes across as the underhanded crook he really was, avoiding every question with obfuscations and double-talk, passing the blame onto anybody and everybody else, blathering nonsense about "tulips" that had "just come out," indulging in his famous self-pity (Haldeman wept, Ehrlichman wept, Patricia wept, everybody wept). At no time during the interviews did Nixon ever admit to having been involved in a cover-up. And when he finally admitted that he had let the American people down he did not say "but worst of all, I let down our system of government." While he did admit that he let down our system of government, "worst of all" for the real Nixon was that he "let down an opportunity that [he] would have had to build peace in the Middle East." In short, he misssed the chance to pat himself on the back. Richard Nixon was self-serving to the bitter end. He was a man who didn't have an ethical bone in his body, much less a conscience.
So, in what way was this film accurate? Except for the obvious conjectures (the phone call Frost receives in the middle of the night from Nixon, for example), and some liberties with the interviews (condensations, some rewording, and, of course, the invention of a confession) it was true in spirit. For in the broader sense, this film was a Shakespearean-style morality play about the abuse of power. In that sense it was completely true, for not only does power corrupt, it tends to draw the corrupt to it. Nixon's statement that "When the president does [something], that means that it is not illegal" is what lies at the heart of this film. We have had imperial presidents before Nixon, and have certainly had one since, but nowhere will you see a more chilling statement of Divine Right than in the Frost Nixon interviews.