Frost/Nixon

Starring: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Toby Jones, Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, Clint Howard
Directed by: Ron Howard
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2008

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: After Watergate, British TV host David Frost (Michael Sheen) risks his personal fortune in an effort to interview disgraced former President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). As both men engage in a battle of wits, how history views Nixon hangs in the balance.

Review:
Tim: I was pretty excited about this movie. It has a terrific director in Ron Howard, an outstanding cast, featured an important and interesting topic that likewise promised to be entertaining. Much of the movie lives up to its hype, there is something in every scene that just feels missing. I never got emotionally invested in the characters, the plot, or the movie as a whole. I was entertained as I watched, but I felt no real connection, no emotional impact from anything in the movie. In the end, I liked the very solid movie, but I felt feeling a bit disappointed because I wanted it to be more.

The film's strongest aspect is the cast. Frank Langella is simply outstanding as Richard Nixon. I could not take my eyes off him as he completely embodied the role. He was mesmerizing on screen. He received a very well deserved Best Actor nomination. In addition to Langella, I was looking forward to the performance of Michael Sheen. I've really been impressed with his performances of late. Sadly, I did not think he was very effective here. I never really got into his character, and this is one of the film's biggest flaws. Sheen was perfectly cast in the role, but he just did not give a terrific performance. I thought he was exponentially better in The Queen.

The supporting cast is impressive, but none have the screen time to really impact the movie. I was glad to see Kevin Bacon in the film, but he is in a thankless role. Sam Rockwell and Oliver Platt work well together, but their ability to make any kind of difference in this film is limited. Their supporting roles just don't give them enough to do.

This movie really hinged on the performances of Langella and Sheen. There was little room for anyone else to shine. While Langella is fantastic, Sheen was somewhat less so. The movie would have been more effective if the producers could have better leveraged the strengths of the cast.

Frost/Nixon is not the amazing, great movie I expected. Still, it is fairly good, and definitely entertaining. I would recommend this movie as a solid film, but not one of the best movies of the year. I think this is evident in that it was nominated for 5 Academy Awards but came away without a single win.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Queen, JFK, Nixon, The American President