Critique of journalism

Rating: 8/10 (14 April 2009)

I did not see the award winning play this movie is based on so I cannot compare it to the original source. Frost/Nixon is a little slow in the beginning but once the interviews start it almost takes on the form of a boxing movie. It turns into a critique of television journalism and a character study.
Michael Sheen plays David Frost, a British television personality who wants to gain popularity in the United States. He is stuck hosting mediocre game shows in Australia during Nixon's resignation when an idea comes to his mind: If he could interview Nixon, it would revitalize his career. Back in the states, Richard Nixon is a broken man. The most powerful man in the world, a man who went from rags to riches, is now relegated to giving speeches at Country Clubs and writing memoirs. The whole world has reduced his entire life to the Watergate scandal. Desperate for attention, he accepts Frost's proposal for the interview, for a paycheck of $600,000, an unprecedented amount. Frost loses his backers and pays out of his own pocket. He hires two journalists to help him research the Nixon Administration, but Sam Rockwell will only work on one condition: they must give Nixon the trial he never had. Nixon must admit he committed treason. The journalists become worried when Frost does not prepare for the interview.
Nixon expects the first interview to go smoothly, but Frost sucker punches him by asking why he didn't burn the tapes. Frost thinks he's got Nixon in a corner, but Nixon delivers a strong comeback that ends up making him look good! The next three interviews proceed in the same fashion. I like the boxing match metaphor of the interviews. Frost's journalists are like his trainers, while Kevin Bacon is Nixon's trainer.
The two men are from different generations, with different tastes in just about everything, particularly fashion. Nixon thinks Frost's shoes without laces look particularly feminine. Deeply entrenched in a competition that could make or break their careers, Frost and Nixon learn they have more in common than they think. Both men have fallen from grace so to speak, and they yearn to be on top again. They develop a certain respect for each other. Their relationship is not entirely accurate; Nixon makes a very personal phone call to Frost while drunk which did not happen in reality.
In the last interview Frost succeeds for the first time. He pummels Nixon with Watergate questions and corners him. Nixon's admission of guilt is quite general and not the knockout blow they wanted, however. Frost/Nixon becomes more than just a competition between two men; it is a powerful critique of television journalism and how it reduces people to sound bites. The only clips from the interviews that received a significant amount of exposure dealt with Watergate. People would only remember the former President saying "If the President does it, it's not illegal." Journalism is entertainment now.
I think Michael Sheen gives the better performance here. Frank Langella is a good Nixon, but I think his Nixon voice distracted me somewhat. Frost/Nixon is a good commentary on journalism today bolstered by good performances all around. It's not quite as good as Milk though, the other 2008 film about a famous politician.