Frost/Nixon plays out a lot like a sports movie for wannabe journalists. It’s got a scrappy, overmatched underdog, a powerful, unbeatable opponent, and even a training montage. But it also bears some of the worst aspects of sports movies, including an abundance of crowd reaction shots and the same unbelievability of a really bad team taking down a giant. Luckily, they’ve got a secret weapon, and his name is Langella.
Much of the movie is spent setting up David Frost as the wrong man for the job; a playboy talk show host with more interest in ratings than politics. His interest in Nixon is purely of the sideshow circus freak variety. He has no concern for getting an admission of guilt from the former president. He just wants to entertain. It’s the reason Nixon agrees to the interview. It’ll be a cake walk and he can restore his dignity! It’s the exact plot of Mystery, Alaska, but with words replacing hockey.
The story, as directed by Ron Howard, seems a little confused at times. It’s a narrative film interrupted at key moments by a faux-documentary style with the characters breaking the fourth wall and giving interviews to camera. They essentially get on camera to tell you what you’re supposed to think. “Man, Nixon really won the first interview.” Thanks for that, talking head. How about you show us instead?? There’s something really awkward about it because they’re playing the exact same age as they are in the movie, yet somehow they have all this perspective on the situation. It takes away precious time from the core of the movie — the interviews.
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For the first three interviews, it’s indeed a cake walk. Nixon trounces Frost, taking 25 minutes to wind through innocuous answers, slowly deflating Frost as time goes on. While the interviews are taking place, each side’s advisors (Nixon’s side represented by Kevin Bacon, Frost’s by Oliver Platt and Sam Rockwell), look on, cheering or hanging their head in shame as the battle of words proceeds. It’s a little distracting, since I came to see Frost/Nixon, not Frost/Nixon/Platt/Bacon. Frost is clearly outmatched, but never seems all that concerned about it. He’s too busy trying to raise money for the interviews, which he’s paying for out of pocket. It’s not until he gets a drunken phone call from Nixon that he shapes up. The Drunk Nixon Speech is the Motivational Halftime Speech of this movie. It kickstarts Frost’s montage where he hits the books, circles stuff in those books, listen to the Watergate tapes, and falls asleep in chairs. Three days later, he emerges a hardened journalist ready to tackle the difficult topics. It’s thrilling, if you’re into watching a guy read.
Something felt a little undercooked about his transformation. Frost didn’t care that he was tanking the interviews when his friends confronted him, why would he care now that Nixon is telling him he’s going to destroy him? Because it’s a damn good scene, that’s why. Nixon calls to tell Frost only one of them can emerge victorious, but it’s also a sign of his desire to confess. He wants Frost to fight back. Nixon needs a worthy adversary, so he stokes the fire a bit and sets up the fascinating final interview. It’s what I was hoping the entire movie would be like; an intense showdown between two capable debaters won by sheer determination.
Despite my fist-shaking at some of the storytelling decisions they made, there is no disputing the amazing performances going on in this movie. Frank Langella is unrecognizable as Nixon. There wasn’t a moment where I was thinking, ‘Hey, it’s Frank Langella from HBO’s Doomsday Gun!” (I’m probably the only person who would think that anyway). Langella makes Nixon likable even when you know you should be rooting against him. He’s cunning and manipulative, but also really funny. Michael Sheen makes for a good foil as David Frost. He’s the other side of the coin; vulnerable and out of his league. Their scenes together are entertaining because of this dynamic. You can tell Nixon actually likes David Frost. He admires his determination and envies his loafers. And Sheen is starstruck by Nixon, unable to break his talk show mentality of listening instead of probing.
