Frost/Nixon

Frost/Nixon is one of those movies that will be viewed by people who already kind of know the story, but is entertaining and compelling for the battle of wills on display instead of the historical rehash, so if you are some school kid who thinks he can watch the movie instead of reading your history book before the big exam, you should reconsider.

Michael Sheen stars as David Frost – a lightweight British television personality with a popular program in Australia. Suffice to say, he is last person on Earth you might think would be interested in tackling the most controversial and serious story of the day, but Frost can’t resist dreaming of the big time.

Just weeks after President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) has resigned from the office, Frost is convinced an interview with the disgraced leader would be a huge ratings hit and help propel his career into America. Immediately, he begins to woo Nixon, and Tricky Dick’s literary agent, Swifty Lazar (Toby Jones), sees this interview as a puff piece that can help promote Nixon’s upcoming memoirs. Of course, Nixon sees it as a nice payday, and a chance to “set the record straight,” so he can get back into the limelight.

Will Frost have the gravitas and mental acuity to match wits with Nixon?

Can Nixon use this opportunity to win over the American people and start another historic comeback?

Director Ron Howard does a wonderful job showing us all of the personal battles and dramas that make up the story. The cast amazingly captures each character’s desires and motives, and writer Peter Morgan finds a way to tell the story as a movie, instead of a series of interview scenes.

Frost/Nixon has many stories to tell, and Howard perfectly lets us see enough of each one to get the right flavor, but focuses on the main story when we need it and want it. Howard shows us both sides of the impending war as we watch Nixon and his team plotting to control the interview and answer questions about everything but Watergate, while we also follow the debates, fighting and lack of confidence the Frost team has in their leader.

Even though we know the interviews do take place, Howard creates a great deal of intrigue around Frost’s plans to find funding and a broadcast partner, often leaving the audience wondering if it actually will take place. This, along with scenes following his prep team’s arguments about how to attack Nixon and disputes over whether this is an interview or the only trial Nixon will ever face for Watergate, makes for great drama and builds up the expectations and anticipation for the main event.

Frost/Nixon truly soars when While Howard focuses on the battle between Frost and Nixon and turns it into some sort of prize fight, Langella is utterly amazing as the hungry tormented genius. He takes his portrayal of Nixon beyond mimicry to show the raw desire and anger that motivates the titan. You can see the pain in his eyes as he faces a lifetime in exile, and the excitement that lights a fire in him as he prepares for the intellectual battle. Most of all, Langella shows us the way Nixon tries to get in Frost’s head with a mix of smooth charisma and statements so outrageous even the most skilled of debaters would be thrown, but also gives us flashes of Nixon’s vulnerability and weaknesses.

Meanwhile, Sheen is the perfect underdog. He is at his best as Frost is facing the worst on and off the set of the big interviews. Sheen delivers flawless and awesome horrified reactions to portions of the interviews that are dying, and other portions that reveal Nixon’s most controversial thoughts and opinions.

Ultimately, Frost/Nixon may be best known for its script. Morgan, who also wrote the stage play the movie is based upon, does a commendable job taking portions of the actual interviews and creating entire scenes and dialogue from them. Many of the interactions between Frost and Nixon were lifted from the televised interviews and turned into cinematic moments that make for a more visually interesting movie. Along those same lines, and certainly with Howard’s input, Morgan also writes some scenes as if Frost/Nixon is a documentary complete with interviews of the characters, which draws us in even more.

On the surface, Frost/Nixon might seem like a history lesson, but it’s also as entertaining as any movie out there right now.

Frost/Nixon is rated R for some language.