Frost/Nixon (2008)

Some may pooh-pooh Ron Howard but he did his homework for Apollo 13 so well that now everyone thinks Jim Lovell's famous words were "Houston, we have a problem." (Howard recast the line slightly for dramatic effect but aced a shipload of technical details for accuracy.) Along similar lines, Frost/Nixon well deserves its Oscar nomination, since the Nixonian era is recreated almost as faithfully as an episode of Mad Men in this drama-as-documentary. While I could often hear the smooth undertones of Frank Langella's trademark purr, he expertly channeled Nixon's jowly growl and his tortured psyche for the duration. Not a whit of Tricky Dick caricatures here, only his humanity -- abhorrent at times but ultimately tragic (if self-inflicted and incapable of repentence). The close facial studies in this movie are refulgent in their revelations but what kept me on the edge of my seat was the banter -- not merely banter, of course, but the jabs and counterjabs of a bantamweight (Frost) against a welterweight (Nixon). Make no mistake, this movie is an intellectual boxing match with bobbing, weaving, and feinting as real as any physical contest. Nixon's power-hungry inner Machiavelli counted coup early on David Frost's media playboy persona, outmatching him and seizing the upper hand for three of the four taping sessions. Only when Michael Sheen as Frost sets aside his baseless optimism to take the bull by the horns does he wrest the history-making confession from Nixon that the country sought. (Would that Bush and Cheney remembered that just because the President does or asserts something illegal does *not* make it legal.) Sam Rockwell, Toby Jones, and Oliver Platt as Frost's prep team slip into their supporting roles in a fashion that feels iconically familiar and Kevin Bacon is excellent as Nixon's uptight chief of staff. Frost/Nixon feels like we're watching history in the making. Whether you lived through the Watergate scandal or want an emotionally fulfilling history lesson on its latter-day milestones, Frost/Nixon presents America with a timeless chapter in our recent past that should never be repeated again. The deleted scenes are interesting but I'm pleased they were deleted. 4.5 stars.