A Consummate Ron Howard Film, Which Means It's Not Remotely Artistic

Rating: 7/10 (5 January 2009)

Frank Langella is getting heaps of praise for his performance as Richard Nixon in this Ron Howard film, but it's Michael Sheen, who delivers a spunky performance as David Frost, the lightweight British talk-show host, who deserves the most acclaim.
The film chronicles the famous Frost/Nixon interview that occurred a few years after Nixon's resignation. Both sides went into the interview like it was a boxing match, the Nixon camp seeing a chance to exonerate the infamous political figure in the public's eye, the Frost camp seeing an opportunity to get Nixon to admit publicly that he broke the law. The showdown should have been exciting (and by all accounts was, though I was far too young at the time to know about any of it), but events in the film only reach a moderate simmer when they should boil. Both Langella and Sheen give excellent performances, and they're backed by able actors (like Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell and Kevin Bacon), but the film remains staunchly unexciting.
The film could have gone in any number of interesting directions. Frost, an Englishman, clearly doesn't understand the passion with which his American aides want retribution from the encounter with Nixon, and I was interested in the role this difference in cultural perspective played. Also, the screenplay early on mentions the impact of television on the proceedings, positing that Frost ultimately won because he knew the medium while Nixon didn't. But this is just told to us, not shown. Rather than develop either of these engaging ideas, director Ron Howard instead decides, typically, to charge straight down the middle and deliver a consummate Ron Howard film. Therefore, it's solid, professional, slick and not remotely artistic.
Grade: B