Frost / Nixon Is At Its Best When the Leads Play Hardball

Last year, I was so ready for the Oscars, I managed to see every contender for Best Picture, not to mention quite a few nominees in other categories. This year, I was much more lax. One of the movies that fell by the wayside was Frost / Nixon, which piqued my curiosity, but not enough to make it essential viewing. I amended this oversight today.

Frost / Nixon, originally a stage play with the same two stars, was written by Peter Morgan, and the film is directed by Ron Howard, who has helmed some of my favorite movies, including the underrated Far and Away. Michael Sheen, who portrays intrepid interviewer David Frost, won me over as Tony Blair in 2006’s The Queen; he seems to have a knack for playing real-life wet-behind-the-ears personages. And I’d seen enough of Frank Langella as disgraced President Richard Nixon to be impressed with the way he embodies such an iconic role.

More than anything, this movie boils down to the two of them, together or apart, carefully plotting out what they will say to each other as teams of advisors hover fretfully. Their tactical maneuvers put me in mind of a boxing match, with Frost the Rocky-like underdog trying to find his adversary’s weak spot. I’ve always thought of Nixon, especially during this time period, as an unscrupulous, defeated figure, but throughout most of the movie he comes across as confident, courteous, charismatic and witty.

As I watched his interaction with Frost, I also found myself thinking of V, the sci-fi series that recently began airing on ABC. In both cases, the journalist is called upon to refrain from asking uncomfortable questions. The task falls to Frost to figure out how to prompt illuminating answers without enraging his subject. As when he played Blair, Sheen shows us a man who seems in over his head, suddenly thrust into a spotlight much too big for him. There’s less verbal ping-pong than the previews led me to believe, since all of the juiciest bits occur during the last portion of their interview, which stretched over several days.

Hence, the movie has a slow build to it that may try the patience of some. It’s interesting to get a peek into all of the background work that goes into an interview like this - weeks of research, millions of dollars in expenditures. But during most of their encounters, the two men are quite cordial to each other; it’s a good hour and a half before the sparring starts in earnest. Even when it’s all over with, there’s a definite sense of mutual respect.

Among the supporting cast, the clear standout is Kevin Bacon as Jack Brennan, Nixon’s deeply devoted, extremely conservative wingman. He proves an even greater stumbling block to Frost than Nixon himself, as he exercises constant vigilance in his attempts to protect the former President’s good name. On the other side of the fence is Bob Zelnick, Frost’s right-hand man. Portrayed by Oliver Platt, he’s a bundle of jokey energy, always trying to lessen the tension with a laugh but quite obviously concerned that this project could kill his career.

Rebecca Hall turns in a nice performance as Caroline Cushing, the sweet Englishwoman who quickly falls into Frost’s inner circle. Unfortunately, as a fan of Diane Sawyer (played by Kate Jennings Grant), I was disappointed in how little this ace reporter was given to do. It almost made me wonder why she was even included as a character.












If you have an interest in the role of the media in shaping society’s opinions, Frost / Nixon is a fascinating film to watch. While bits of it are a tad dry and dozy, the movie as a whole is an intriguing peek at an important slice of recent history, anchored by two outstanding performances.