Frost/Nixon
Starring Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, and Oliver Platt
Directed by Ron Howard (A Beautiful Mind)
Rated R for some language
Appropriate for ages 15+
After President Richard Nixon (Langella) left office in the 70s, the press went crazy trying to arrange interviews that he wouldn’t give. When British talk-show host David Frost (Sheen) made an offer, the ex-president decided to take the easy money, since Frost was clearly beneath him and wouldn’t have the skills to expose his crimes. This film, based on the broadway play follows the events surrounding this historical interview and the chess game played by these two monumental figures.
I would reckon a guess that this might have been the most challenging film to make in recent memory. It’s not challenging in regard to special effects, controversy, etc…, but rather due to the question of “how can you possibly make a two hour movie about an interview interesting?” The answer is a terrific screenplay by Peter Morgan (The Queen) and Ron Howard running the show. This outstanding production team made a potentially horifyingly boring story into a fast paced thriller-of-a-drama that proves to be more exciting than Howard’s previous critical flop The Davinci Code.
It also helps to have the two actors from the Broadway show (Langella and Sheen) who came to the set with a pre-loaded chemistry that shines on film. Along with a solid supporting cast including Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, and Keving Bacon, great acting is everywhere you look on screen.
While the subject matter is interesting, it is probably not enough to bring the film a huge audience. However, the audience attending will be very pleased they came. A