Frost-Nixon
Though he has a track record that includes Oscar-winners and box-office hits, Ron Howard has never really gotten the recognition he deserves as one of Hollywood’s best directors. If I’d have to guess, I’d imagine it’s his pop filmmaking sensibility that- like Spielberg- sometimes gets in the way of his subject’s compelling undercurrents.
With “Frost/Nixon,” however, the story seems to be falling flat with audiences- my guess? too much Presidential inundation for one year- and gaining him respect for his directing chops (even if those were evident in earlier successes like “Apollo 13,” “Ransom,” “A Beautiful Mind” and “Cinderella Man”) that has eluded him with some critics.
The former’s unfortunate, ’cause Howard’s handling of Peter Morgan’s screenplay- adapted from his own stageplay- is some of his most deft filmmaking, turning the true-life collision course of British entertainer David Frost (Michael Sheen, excellent and charismatic) and disgraced ex-President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella, in a towering, career-capping performance) into a suspenseful battle of wills, and fascinating history. We can only hope the same thing goes down with our equally-embarassing outgoing President one day. I nominate Jon Stewart for the job.
It’s not hard to see why Frost’s producer (Matthew McFayden) and researchers (Oliver Platt- showing why he’s so valuable to any movie- and Sam Rockwell) are skeptical of Frost’s abilities on such a heavyweight subject. A host of British and Australian talk shows, David’s one chance at success in the States went down in flames. And in political- and network- press circles, the prospect is looked at with such disdain that no one will bankroll it, meaning that when Frost writes out a check for $200,000 to Nixon, he’s literally writing a check his body can’t cash. And when the cameras roll, all of Frost’s experience means squat when Nixon tries to fake him out right as the interview’s getting started or when he stretches answers out to throw him off his rhythm.
Of course, Nixon has a lot riding on the interviews as well. Watergate defined his presidency, and the public perception of him- as voiced by Rockwell’s James Reston Jr.- has grown even more contentious in the years since his resignation. The scenes with Nixon and his friend and ally Col. Jack Brennan (the superb Kevin Bacon, in one of his best performances) give us insight into the man behind the public image, and gives us a chance to empathize with a political icon whose drive to prove himself got the best of him, as does a phone call between Nixon and Frost, with a drunken Nixon confiding in a perplexed Frost- up against the wall on the first three tapings- on matters of public perception that resonate with both of them.
The phone call didn’t actually happen, but Howard and Morgan use the scene to get to a larger truth about what it’s like to be in the public eye, which changed forever for them both when Frost nailed Nixon on Watergate in taping #4, resulting in a moment of humility that allows Nixon some peace of mind, and Frost greater opportunities that lead to the fame he always craved. Howard uses “modern” interviews with the participants around the two television warriors to set the stage, but ultimately, what happens in front of the camera drives the story more than any talking heads could do. The result may not be perfect history, but it’s thrilling drama. Like the kind you see on TV everyday.
