Nixon

Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, Powers Boothe, Ed Harris, Bob Hoskins, E.G. Marshall, David Paymer, David Hyde Pierce, Paul Sorvino, Mary Steenburgen, J.T. Walsh, James Woods, Brian Bedford, Kevin Dunn, Tony Goldwyn, Annabeth Gish, Larry Hagman, Dan Hedaya, John C. McGinley, James Pickens Jr., Michael Chiklis, Sam Waterston, Bai Ling
Directed by: Oliver Stone
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
1995

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Follows Richard Nixon from boyhood to the Presidency, to Watergate when it all falls apart.

Review:

Tim: I feel so torn about Nixon. I've been meditating on this film for days now- is it a great movie or not? There's so many things to love about the movie, but it's also overly long. I think in the end, I have to say this is a movie that falls just short of greatness- but the margin is razor thin. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and consider it another big success from director Oliver Stone.

Nixon is a fascinating figure and here his story almost takes on Shakespearean levels of drama. It's kind of amazing that Stone was willing to spend over 3 hours charting the rise and fall of Richard M. Nixon. He approaches the subject from a position of curiosity. There's some rumination of the positive impact Nixon made- he's presented as a flawed human being, but it felt like the portrayal was fair. The movie didn't set out to portray Nixon as a monster. He's human, but it's his deep insecurities and flaws that ultimately brings him down. It's quite an intriguing journey to watch this man slide closer and closer to his inevitable end.

I have to give an immeasurable amount of credit to Anthony Hopkins. Hopkins has always been one of my favorite actors- truly, one of the greatest acting talents to ever live. I felt even more convinced of that fact after watching his portrayal of Nixon. It's hard for me to describe how wonderful he is. I often had to remind myself I was looking at Hopkins. It's not just the hair and the makeup (he doesn't really look like Nixon), it's his mannerisms, his demeanor. He truly embodies this person and brings him to life on screen. Hopkins was rewarded with an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and while I also loved Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas, Hopkins has an argument that he could have won. Seriously, his performance is just fantastic.

The supporting cast is good, but as it is so extensive, not all the talented actors get enough time to impact the movie. Joan Allen gives a great performance as well- she was nominated for Best Supporting Actor. As good as Allen is, though, she exists fully in Hopkins' shadow. She's not quite amazing enough to escape it. I thought James Woods gave a nice supporting performance. I loved Paul Sorvino as Kissinger. I was so excited to see Ed Harris here, but disappointed he had almost nothing interesting to do. Powers Boothe and David Hyde Pierce had a few nice moments here and there. Mary Steenburgen makes an impact on her flashback scenes. Sam Waterston had a small but great performance. J.T. Walsh was solid, but I desperately wished he had more to do. The same can be said for Bob Hoskins- the film was better due to his presence, but he doesn't get enough to do. As a whole, the cast was incredible but it's hard not to feel a bit disappointed that some of these talented actors don't get more screen time (and making the movie longer wasn't an option).

Speaking of the film's length, that was actually a detriment to the film. I loved the epic scope of the movie, but there were too many unnecessary sequences. It never actually feels bloated, but it feels like it gets too close to that for comfort. I truly believe Stone needed to do some more cuts and editing, and he would have had an even better final product. This movie is impressive, but it starts to crumble a bit under its own weight. By the end of the film, rather than feeling your emotions at their highest point, you feel a little bit of relief. As good as this movie is, it's a major investment of your life and the return isn't quite where you'd like it to be.

Hey, I thoroughly enjoyed Nixon and it is maddeningly close to being a great movie. I'm trying not to focus too much on that, because I don't want to take away the fact that Oliver Stone created something memorable and worthy of applause here. This movie was nominated for 4 Academy Awards, but didn't bring home any. It feels like that sums up my thoughts- so, so good, but it falls just short of the upper echelon of films.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: JFK, All the President's Men