Frost/Nixon
Rated: R
Runtime: 2 hours, 2 minutes
Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring:
Frank Langella - Richard Nixon
Michael Sheen - David Frost
Sam Rockwell - James Reston, Jr.
Kevin Bacon - Jack Brennan
Oliver Platt - Bob Zelnick
Matthew Macfayden - John Birt
Rebecca Hall - Caroline Cushing
Toby Jones - Swifty Lazar
It's hard to like Ron Howard as a director. While he may choose to grace us with an Apollo 13 or produce and narrate Arrested Development, he's also at fault for some of the worst big-budget/Oscar-bait in recent memory including such failure piles as Cinderella Man and The Da Vinci Code. When it comes to choosing a project, it seems like Howard's M.O. is to find a shiny property and make it into a movie. That's behavior is expected of a studio or a producer but directors should come on board because they find something interesting about the material or they have specific themes and ideas they'd like to express and adapting a certain book or play is the best way to convey those themes and ideas. So if a director doesn't bring anything to the table, then the property has to stand for itself. If that property is The Da Vinci Code, then you get two hours of unintentional laughs. If that property if Frost/Nixon, then you get an intense character drama elevated by the brilliant performances from its talented two lead actors.
Legacy matters, especially to Presidents since there have been only forty-three of them to date. The legacy of Richard M. Nixon is one of corruption and shame. For a man that was in office for six years, there is no debate that he left a stain on his office and that any good he may have accomplished was overshadowed by Vietnam (a war that didn't just belong to him) and Watergate. This kind of legacy has pretty much rendered Nixon a cartoon—a bull-dogged faced loser without conscience who committed the gravest of national sins: getting caught.
But in 1976, Nixon thought maybe he could pull a repeat of the "Checkers"-save (look it up) and salvage his legacy. Enter David Frost, a likable if not-particularly-incisive talk show host who sees the ratings potential of grabbing the first one-on-one interview with Nixon. Nixon agrees to a set of four 90-minute interviews in exchange for $600,000 while working off the assumption that Frost is a lightweight and nothing more than a stepping stone in rebuilding his tarnished image. Despite Frost's hiring a dedicated team of researchers, the interviews stand as a David-vs-Goliath battle as an inexperienced entertainer attempts to drag some form of contrition out of an American political giant.
There are lots of great ideas scattered throughout Frost/Nixon—legacy, the role of television in modern American society, truth before the age of spin—but while all these ideas float along the edges of the film, Howard doesn't have the directorial acumen to hold onto to any of them. Thankfully, just as he's taken this Tony-winning play to the screen, he's also held on to its title characters. There are two reasons to see Frost/Nixon and they are Michael Sheen and Frank Langella.
As I mentioned earlier, Nixon has pretty much become a cartoon in modern culture (see Robot Nixon from Futurama and that pretty much nails what we all think of the guy) and Langella's performance is the reminder that Nixon was not a cartoon but a complex human being. He brings a side to Nixon that is rarely seen in the caricature but is mandatory for any major political figure: charm. Nixon is charming and it's that charm and political acumen that makes him such a formidable opponent.
But I was even more impressed by Sheen's work as David Frost. There is so much happening beneath the surface with Frost and those emotions behind the eyes make him rather sympathetic. He's an odd hero because his quest is almost cynical—he's not politically invested but sees the opportunity for ratings glory and makes a huge gamble so he can be successful not only in England and Australia but in America. While his research team may want Nixon's blood, Frost only wants a great interview. It's Sheen's delicate balance of Frost's ambition without malice that makes the character so compelling.
Sadly, I can't help but be frustrated by Ron Howard's direction (or lack thereof). I don't know if Howard doesn't understand the ideas of Peter Morgan's play or if he just doesn't care. Thankfully, this ignorance/indifference allows the leads actors of Frost/Nixon and the solid supporting cast to carry the film and they do so beautifully. Some of the more fascinating ideas may get left at the periphery but at the forefront are two of the year's best performances.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
12.1.08