"‘You have no idea how fortunate that makes you, liking people. Being liked. Having that facility. That lightness, that charm. I don't have it, I never did.’"
THE CAST:
The casting for Frost/Nixon was perfectly done, down to all the supporting cast and extras. Even though there are some big names attached to the film, Michael Sheen and Frank Langella (nominated for an Oscar for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role) are the stars here and they both deserve attention for their performances. The remaining cast includes Sam Rockwell, Kevin Bacon, Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt and Rebecca Hall.
DIRECTION, CINEMATOGRAPHY AND SPECIAL EFFECTS:
The photography in Frost/Nixon is excellent in that it is filmed with a 1970's look about it. It received an Oscar nomination for Best Achievement in Editing and it was impeccably done. No 'special effects' to speak of but the clothing and hair styles were spot-on for 1977.
The talented Ron Howard directed this film in what has become his almost flawless style. No matter what the subject matter, if Howard is directing you know it will be done very well.
THE GOOD:
This film being character driven the performances are most important and they were the best thing about the film. Frank Langella received a lot of attention and even an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of Nixon, but Michael Sheen deserved more consideration for his part in the movie. Because this film received such wide critical acclaim including an Oscar nomination for Best Motion Picture of the Year, I thought about it for a few days trying to figure out exactly why. It is a good and watchable but an extraordinary, engrossing, fascinating film it is not. It is representative of past events about a controversial President and a Ron Howard film, but nothing to get excited over. It did receive an Oscar nomination for Best Writing which really surprises me because compared to the other nominees, Doubt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Reader and Slumdog Millionaire; it just does not seem equivalent.
THE BAD:
Throughout this entire film I felt a longing for more. More information on exactly what went on during Watergate being the biggest void in this film. I know this is a character drama and not exactly about Watergate, but a little more information on the subject would have not only added to the 'suspense' of the interviews but would have improved the overall concept of the film. I am not old enough to remember exactly what Watergate was all about and I realize it was a subject studied in history class, but not something that every detail was retained. Just a few more details would have given the questions/reactions additional understanding. Then there is the characters portrayed in the film. Further specifics of their backgrounds and personal lives would have provided a better comprehension of their individual passions and driving forces behind them.
THE STORY (may contain spoilers):
David Frost is an Australian talk show host seemingly on top of his game but has become bored with the 'talk show' circuit and begins to look for something more exciting. He decides to try to arrange a series of interviews with the recently resigned President Nixon thinking networks would surely foot the bill. Nixon accepts Frost's proposal, but mostly because of the $600,000 appearance fee. Nixon believes he can take charge of the interview and resurrect his political career as well as change public opinion about him. Frost at first is confident he will be able to secure financial backing for the project but after meeting with all the networks ends up financing the project out of his own pocket for the most part. Then the first day of interviews, Nixon manipulates the entire conversation to his advantage and feels he is intellectually superior to Frost and will be able to take command of the talks. Frost realizes what Nixon is doing but will he be able to rattle Nixon and get some sensational television. It is something he must do to secure funding for his project; otherwise he will be the one disgraced.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Standard DVD
Deleted Scenes
The Making of Frost/Nixon: Take an in-depth look at all aspects of the production and discover the lengths it took to recreate this historic event for the big season
The Real Interview: Footage from the actual interview and how it compares to the way it was reenacted for the film
The Nixon Library: Discover the materials that have been preserved for public viewing in the Richard Nixon Library, ranging from the "Nixon Tapes" to footage of Nixon visiting China
Feature Commentary with Director Ron Howard
REPLAY VALUE:
Frost/Nixon has virtually no replay value for me, I have seen it, wasn't impressed and do not think I will ever have the need or want to watch it again.
BOTTOM LINE:
Regardless of whether or not this is a true depiction of the characters in this film, an area I do not wish to argue, I found the entire film boring and lackluster. If it was not for the performances given by Sheen and Langella it would have been a pretty benign representation of actual events. I did not find anything spectacular about this film nor was it as absorbing as I have read in so many past reviews. I guess if you are a history buff or are just interested in the story, you should see it. If you have no interest in the subject matter then I would suggest you skip this one.
Thanks for reading.
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