Review: ‘Frost/Nixon’

Frost/Nixon

4 stars out of 5

Based on the play about the real-life groundbreaking interview between President Richard Nixon and British TV personality David Frost, Frost/Nixon should be a film relegated only to history buffs and political junkies (myself included). But thanks to the pixie dust of Ron Howard and his associate-for-life Brian Grazer, the Frost-Nixon interview has been overhauled with, how shall I put this, heavy amounts of testosterone added to the discussion. (Watch the original interview on YouTube and you’ll see what I’m talking about). Fueled with emotional aggression and moxie, the movie should appeal to a much wider audience than poli-sci majors and government skeptics. Frost/Nixon is a mountain of a movie that rests upon the larger shoulders of Nixon portrayer Frank Langella, who played the Tricky One on both the Broadway stage and in this feature.

The movie carries a theme of second chances; a means to an end and how far one is willing to go to re-taste former glories. For Frost, it means getting back into the limelight he so enjoyed and for Nixon, it means rejoining the only profession that has meant anything to him: politics (public policy). Like a cerebral Rocky, Frost is out-matched in almost all areas. Nixon is smarter, a master of mind games and quick on his feet. Frost…is a showman, a talk-show host with nary a political belief in his body. Yet he trains, not by punching a slab of beef, but by hitting phone transcripts, public government documents and pulling an all-nighter in order to keep a step ahead of the veteran debater, Nixon. Those not doomed to repeat history will know how it turns out. With only a small percentage of pure fiction, Ron Howard presents a surprisingly moderate look at Nixon: the man (as opposed to “Nixon, the horse” as mentioned by Langella’s Nixon in the film).

Frank Langella is vivid and plays the former president spot on, though despite his height discrepancy of nearly 6 inches (Langella is 6′ 4″ whereas Nixon was 5′ 11″) the Broadway actor does not try to engage in a mere grotesque impression: no huge rubber nose and no James Brolin-esque mugging like in W. Instead, Mr. Langella plays Nixon head-on and without stirring guffaws from the audience. Also brilliant is Michael Sheen (Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Blood Diamond) as the charming, witty and obscenely British David Frost.

On the surface, Frost/Nixon may appear to be a dry, boring piece about a segment of American history largely forgotten by the mainstream public. It’s not. Instead, the film is riveting, thoughtful and packs enough punch to keep all generations, from Boomers to Gen-Y (and if you’re in Gen-Y, congrats for making it this far into the review) engaged.