Dir: Ron Howard, 2008
Based on the true story of British talk show host David Frost (Michael Sheen), who scores a series of interviews with disgraced former President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). Frost seeks to reenter the good graces of American audiences after an earlier show flopped, but his team wants to put Nixon in the hot seat for the President's legally pardoned crimes. Nixon wants to save face and earn a little cash.
I knew Frost/Nixon was supposed to be good — critically acclaimed, with 5 Oscar noms and a half dozen other wins — but didn't expect it to be as engaging as it is. I think it's the best directorial effort I've seen from Ron Howard since Apollo 13 (production-wise I'm still partial to the short-lived, but awesome, Arrested Development). The drama isn't manufactured or superimposed; it comes out of what's at stake for the characters. Peter Morgan's script is good in that it allows the fictionalized portions to be upstaged by the interviews, which are transcribed (with creative license) from their real-life counterparts.
The acting is solid. Both Langella and Frost reprise their roles from the award-winning stage version and adapt them well to the screen. Langella is committed and commanding in every scene, and sometimes even charismatic. He doesn't play Nixon as all smug intellect and slippery manipulation, but imbues the character with insecurities and other human frailty. Sure, some of this is due to Morgan, who also helped pen a stunning screen version of Idi Amin for The Last King of Scotland. But Langella's expressive face and haggard demeanor betray even more than what's written.
Frost/Nixon might not appeal to everyone. Hardcore political and/or media history buffs might complain that too much creative liberty is taken. Those who're left cold by the subject matter and don't care for taut dramas might be bored. But it's an example of all-around good filmmaking.
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