We’ve already covered Ron Howard’s political drama “Frost/Nixon”, but I saw the film and a subsequent Q&A with filmmakers tonight and had a few more thoughts to share. While already in pre-production on “Angels & Demons”, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer saw the eventual Tony Award winning play and moved quickly towards a film adaptation. With a small budget relative to his usual work and a shoot of just 40 days, Howard manages to keep his often-imperious direction out of the way of Peter Morgan’s strong script and solid all around performances.
The two-man play is essentially turned in to a fleshed out political thriller with both leads reprising their roles. The plot is pretty straight forward – David Frost, a toothy British talk show host travels to the States to conduct an against all odds interview with President Nixon after his resignation in the hopes of giving him the trial the American people feel he deserves. We previously mentioned the “boxing match” element of the film, which is absolutely apparent. Morgan’s screenplay does an excellent job of introducing both characters, placing them in proper context, establishing the stakes and pretenses leading up to their eventual face-off, an interview with implications that will change the lives of both men. The debate is intense, with shifting dynamics that eventually reach a powerful conclusion.
Michael Sheen holds his own as Frost, balancing enough naivety and seriousness to remain a likable hero. Supporting cast all around is excellent, Oliver Platt and Sam Rockwell add humor to an unfunny period in this nation’s history. Kevin Bacon is also solid as Jack Brennan, a man responsible with making sure Nixon stays out of his own way. But the star here, as you might’ve heard, is Frank Langella. Playing Nixon as a flat villain would’ve been too easy a route for the veteran actor, Langella delivers a nuanced performance that ultimately paints Nixon as a sad victim of his own shortcomings and mistakes beneath a combative exterior. Obviously the performance peaks during a heated moment of Watergate questioning, it’s a scene that is sure to garner attention from the Academy and audiences alike.
Adaptations of plays aren’t typically the easiest way to a successful film, but we’ve seen two this year in “Doubt” and now “Frost/Nixon”. Howard creates a fully realized environment for a play essentially about two talking heads, giving us motivations and complexities leading up to an explosive finale. Sure, we know the ending of this story. But rarely did I lose interest in the characters and was willing to suspend prior notions about Nixon and the interview in general. Howard and his cinematographer, Salvatore Totino, keep the camera fluid and kinetic, pairing with Hans Zimmer’s intensifying score to create a sense of anticipation before suspending it all and leaving us in the room with these two men for their mesmerizing showdown.
Too often reviews draw comparisons to the current political climate and Bush administration. But given the culture of deceit and secrecy in Washington over the last eight years, it’s hard to avoid when thinking about this film. Whether or not this was Howard’s intent is up to the viewer, and the consensus is Nixon is given fair portrayal here, but nonetheless “Frost/Nixon” serves as a reminder of the consequences of a closed door White House and how hopefully those days are behind us.
