Not Quite what it could have been

Rating: 7/10 (5 January 2009)

Watching the previews for Frost/Nixon suggest a film replete with growing tension and excitement, a sort of "All The President's Men" played out before the TV cameras. In actuality "Frost/Nixon" is a fairly unimaginative filming of what must have been a great play; at the time Ron Howard plunked down a record amount of money to by the rights. What has made it to the screen is something less than riveting.
On the plus side we have Frank Langella, who, having starred in the stage version has the part down pat. Almost a little too pat as he seems to give his performance in a vacuum. While this causes the early scenes in the film to be somewhat void of excitement it does contribute to the undeniable peak of the film, when the interview schedule turns to the Watergate cover-up. Is it worth it? That is a question of individual taste and attention span as the film boils down to what was a fifteen round heavyweight fight. The early rounds are dull indeed, as the fighters probe and spar, searching for weaknesses. The supporting players are strong. Kevin Bacon and Oliver Platt do more than their share, but in the final analysis it comes down to what the the title suggests. Frost/Nixon is not a great film but you could do worse and probably often do at the multiplexes these days.