Some fine acting in a movie that is at times uneven

Rating: Null/10 (14 December 2008)

Not a very deep view of American politics but that's Ron Howard for you. I question his view of history sometimes especially after the liberties he took with A Beautiful Mind. Apparently the part with Nixon drunk dialing frost was fictional. The acting was good but not excellent. I liked the supporting cast of Rockwell and Platt. I didn't care much for Kevin Bacon who I thought was over-the-top in his Nixon foot soldier character who will defend the President to every end.
I'm not sure if this kind of material is really suited to Ron Howard though. I don't think his direction always has the depth for this kind of political topic. One scene showed Nixon petting a dog just after he'd been pummeled in an interview by Frost. The scene practically cries out "See, he *is* human". This is what I don't like about Ron Howard.
Overall though the movie was good but nowhere near perfect. It may be better suited as a play. A lot of the scenes around the interviews themselves are drawn out and not fully necessary.