As we move slowly away from the 20th century, it's becoming clearer that the two biggest moments in American Politics during the latter half of that century were the Kennedy assassination and the Watergate Scandal. Certainly those are the two presidents about whom the most movies have been made. And with Frost/Nixon, which covers days of interviews between David Frost and Richard Nixon, here comes another one about Nixon and Watergate. At this point you might have cause to wonder, is there anything new that can be said about it? Pleasantly though, this movie doesn't put meaning ahead of entertainment and therefore delivers its message even more effectively.
What Frost/Nixon is, above all else, is a boxing movie. Of course in this movie all of the punches and jabs are delivered verbally. This is strictly a cerebral fight.
In one corner you have British talk-show host and celebrity jet-setter, David Frost. He began his career as a comedian (during which he helped to launch the career of several future Monty Python members, although that fact isn't revealed in the movie), but moved on to hosting his own talk-shows around the world where he interviewed celebrities and mainly did fluff pieces; not what you would ever call a hard-hitting journalist. He seeks out an interview with ex-president Richard Nixon for reasons that are never laid out completely. It would seem that he challenges Nixon to this verbal duel for the purpose of making people take him more seriously, but this is never explicitly stated.
In the opposing corner you have a disgraced Richard Nixon. Nixon's motivation is clear. Frost is paying $600,000 for the interview and Nixon wants the money, but more importantly he sees this as his chance to redeem himself in the eye's of the American people. It's a chance for him to tell his side of the story. He even has dreams that somehow he can use this interview to bring himself back into politics from the exile he has been placed into.
Nixon, the wily old veteran, wins the first rounds of the fight. He disconcerts Frost several times in humorous ways. Seconds before the camera comes on he asks, "Did you have a good night last night? Did you do any fornicating?" He rambles in his answers, dominating the interview and never giving Frost a chance to fight back.
Of course, like any good boxing movie, Frost comes back. There's even a short montage sequence of Frost preparing for the final interview that is only missing an 80's power ballad to make it complete.
Michael Sheen as Frost and the rest of the supporting cast are terrific, but this movie is stolen by Frank Langella as Nixon. In real life Nixon may have lost this fight, but in my mind, there's no question that Langella wins this fight. His portrayal is hardly what you would call a direct imitation, and yet he embodies the character perfectly. He does such a good job that you end up feeling sympathetic for him. He deserves the Best Actor Oscar for sure and if he isn't at least nominated for it than there is no justice in Hollywood.
In case you're thinking that a movie about an interview sounds pretty boring, rest assured that it's not. The movie is peppered with enough humor and characters so that you never get bored. This is that rare movie that is award-worthy and yet truly entertaining at the same time.
