On Martin Luther King day I went into Georgetown with Carrie to see Frost/Nixon, one of the Oscar films I’ve been waiting to see for awhile.
The Ron Howard directed historical thriller tells the story behind 1977 Richard Nixon interviews with David Frost. The film is based on the award winning play of the same name. The film starts off with the obligatory intro montage that breezes past the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s impeachment. Nixon (Frank Langella) gives his impeachment speech and is then shown leaving The White House, waving to the crowd with his trademark V-signs. Meanwhile British talk show personality David Frost (Michael Sheen) wants to interview Nixon, seeing it as a way to revitalize his waning career. Nixon agrees thinking Frost will be soft and can leverage the interview to clear his name.
What was great about the film was it’s ability to keep me hanging on til the end, which I would find hard for a film based from history. You know the end- then where’s the suspense? Even though at times I felt the film dragged a little, things got really intense once the interviews began. The interviews played out like a boxing match, with each side fighting for the pr
ize. Otherwise the build up to the interviews were ho hum. Frost’s pressures to prepare while trying to raise money for the film came off weak. Most of the time he is seen charming and carefree, partying and schmoozing.
Performance of the film has to go to Langella as Nixon. He nailed him perfectly, to the point that little mannerisms and moments garnered laughs from the audience. I am happy to see him nominated for Best Actor.
Notes: Frank Langella was amazing. I gotta rethink the pacing. Lots of funny moments from Nixon. Got me more interested in watching the original interviews.
Overall I think the film is a great historical thriller that has garnered my interest in seeing the actual interviews. That in itself tells me that the film does not only a great job in telling the story but capturing the audiences’ interest beyond seeing it on the silver screen.
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