Excellent, entertaining, engrossing - the story speaks for itself

Rating: 8/10 (12 December 2008)

The subject matter of the film pretty much carries itself. The filmmakers have selected an historic event so effortlessly fascinating that a subtle, restrained docudrama approach works very effectively. I haven't seen the original stage play on which the film is based, but I can only assume that it focuses more on the stage-friendly interviews sequence and less on the depiction of the whirlwind events leading up to the interviews, which occur over extended periods of time and in many locations which the film jumps from very rapidly. In order to bring order to the chaos, screenwriter Peter Morgan, also the playwright of the original stage version, employs a very effective technique of splicing within the film interviews with the characters in the film, taking place some time after the Frost/Nixon interviews but, unlike those ones, are not based on real interviews which occurred in real life but rather are the fruit of Morgan's imagination. It's certainly far more original and interesting a way to portray characters' inner thoughts, to deliver important information quickly and to arrange all the events in the audience members' heads than to use voice-over narration, for example. The film's structure altogether allows for an almost constant drama; the second half focuses on the actual interviews, which are of course naturally dramatic, but the first half depicts the equally interesting behind-the-scenes events, providing us with fantastic character development of both David Frost and Richard Nixon and also with the inherent dramas of Frost's being ridiculed, claims he wouldn't be up to the challenge, his difficulty in securing funds and his descent into an obsession with the interviews while still managing to keep his cool and never lose his focus or stability.
Howard and Brian Grazer's production value is second to none; all the elements in this film come together wonderfully, including excellent cinematography from Howard regular (since Cinderella Man) Salvatore Totino and an extremely effective musical score by Hans Zimmer. But it's undeniable, perhaps because of its roots on the stage, that the centerpiece of the film is the acting. Aided by a stellar supporting cast including familiar faces such as Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Kevin Bacon, Toby Jones and Rebecca Hall, the two pillars of acting, the tent poles of the film, are Michael Sheen and Frank Langella, each of whom delivers an outstanding, truly striking performance, with one ever-so-slightly overshadowing the other. Frank Langella absolutely dominates the role as Richard Nixon. I haven't seen many other films depicting the former president, the most famous of which is probably Oliver Stone's Nixon which features Anthony Hopkins in an interesting, heart-felt and yet slightly off performance, and yet I say with confidence that Langella's performance is the greatest and most convincing cinematic depiction of "Tricky Dick" yet. Langella nails two very important aspects of depicting a real-life, public individual: the first is perfecting his mannerisms, physical look and voice, which he does outstandingly well. But what differentiates between an imitation and a performance is when you take those mannerisms and that accent and apply them to any dramatic setting. Langella does this so expertly that it's simply a treat just to watch him getting angry and emotional as Nixon. And yet, Langella, Morgan and Howard take special care not to portray Nixon as a total monster; they manage, very carefully, to craft a very full-bodied, rounded character with immense depth and personal drama; the storm brewing behind Langella's eyes, the inner turmoil of Nixon, is utterly spellbinding.
Delivering an equally solid performance but perhaps overshadowed by Langella's towering turn is Michael Sheen as David Frost. Like Langella, Sheen is in the position of portraying a real-life public figure, speaking with an accent, perfecting mannerisms and applying the imitation to drama, but perhaps because Nixon is such a more instantly recognizable and even legendary figure to audiences than David Frost is, Langella seems to be taking all the critics' attention away from the equally deserving Sheen. This is the second time in as many years that Sheen has delivered an excellent performance portraying a real-life figure in a film only to be overshadowed by the other lead role: In 2006's The Queen, incidentally also written by Peter Morgan, Sheen played an expertly rounded, deep, fascinating version of Tony Blair only to be completely overshadowed by Helen Mirren's towering performance as Queen Elizabeth II come awards season. Even though it may not win any Oscars or even be nominated for one, I only hope that Sheen will take solace in knowing that his work is appreciated by many, and his performance in Frost/Nixon in particular is a great achievement.
Frost/Nixon is an excellent, entertaining, engrossing film that works on so many levels and features so many facets that all come together in an excellent example of film-making. Howard, Morgan and crew managed to take a subject that many would consider heavy-handed or irrelevant, and still make it irresistibly entertaining and fascinating to watch. The dramas of the behind-the-scenes build-up to the interviews is as dramatic and captivating as the interviews themselves, and Howard manages to avoid his previous pitfall off an overly melodramatic finale by ending the film on a subtler, more realistic but still powerful conclusion. Morgan and actors Langella and Sheen manage to take two very public figures and craft multi-faceted, deep, three-dimensional characters with very well developed personalities and qualities, with Sheen and especially Langella delivering absolutely riveting performances. And throughout it all is director Ron Howard, conducting the orchestra, stepping back and letting every element of the film  the talented technical crew, absorbing story and interesting characters  speak for itself.