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|  | FROST/NIXON review by Gary Dean Murray
« Thread Started on Jan 2, 2009, 7:20am » | |
FROST/NIXON
![[image]](http://www.bigfanboy.com/pages/reviews/filmreviews/2008/frostnixon/frostnixon1.jpg "[image]")
Review by Gary Dean Murray
Ron Howard is one of our great American directors. With films like Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind, Ron has proven that he can tell a compelling story with strong characters. His latest is the introspective drama Frost/Nixon, and it is one of the best of his career and of the year.
The story is of the famed series of interviews with David Frost (Michael Sheen) and Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). At the time David Frost was a talk show host in England and Australia who failed with a show in NYC. He is a very unpolitical individual, more interested in celebrity than politics. He sees the idea of interviewing Richard Nixon as an entertainment more than a political statement. Nixon was a disgraced president who was taken down by the Watergate scandal. Living in the pure sunshine of Southern California, he seems to be a fish out of water. The political maverick is as far away from Washington politics as one can be. But, he wants to be back in the spotlight and sees the lightweight Frost as a conduit to getting back into the political elite. Nixon figures that he can rewrite politics and history by way of the interviews.
We see the preparation of Frost who at first doesn't take his task seriously. Early on he uses two true journalists to help him prepare. They see this as the trial of Richard Nixon, the chance to get back at him for everything real or imagined that the former president did. And at first they are disappointed by Frost and his lightweight approach. But much like the Mohammad Ali tactic of 'rope-a-dope', it feels as if Frost is just waiting for his chance to deliver the cutting blow.
![[image]](http://www.bigfanboy.com/pages/reviews/filmreviews/2008/frostnixon/frostnixon3.jpg "[image]")
The direction by Ron Howard is very simplistic, which seems to be a deliberate method. He doesn't have to hide a weak script with fancy camera moves. Here he just sets up his equipment and let the actors do their best. He pieces this film together like a documentary, with characters testifying to the camera as if they were being interviewed. This gives us the aspect of 'telling and not showing' narrative conclusions, but the effect works as a shortcut to getting into the psyche of different characters.
This role has a deserved future Oscar nod for Frank Langella. He captures the isolated lighthouse that is the modern presidency. The entire world watches your every move but you are always alone. The performance captures the full range of emotions of a complicated man. There is true pathos in how Nixon is portrayed, showing that he sincerely believes what he is doing is right, constitution be damned. This is no impersonation but a truly stellar capturing of a historical individual. In a career of performances that should have garnered better considerations, this is a shining beacon of perfection.
Michael Sheen and his role of David Frost should not be ignored. Frost goes against a massive ego of Richard Nixon and never flinches, just as Sheen never backs down against Langella. His must be the hardest role, for his character must show the largest range. I hope that Academy voters will not ignore such a measured performance against the powerful Langella.
Even for the less political minded, Nixon/Frost is a treat. It has great actors giving a compelling story, and it should not be missed.
![[image]](http://www.bigfanboy.com/pages/reviews/filmreviews/2008/frostnixon/frostnixon2.jpg "[image]")
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