Frost/Nixon: Oscars 2009

Frost/NixonOf all the films released in 2008 that had their origins in a Broadway/West End theatre, the one that seemed most doomed to fail was Frost/Nixon.  Nevertheless, the cinematic adaptation of Peter Morgan's play about the famous television interviews between the disgraced former president and the British television personality rises above its theatrical brethren (Mamma Mia, Doubt) in the hands of skilled director Ron Howard.

Howard is at the top of his game, and so are Michael Sheen and Frank Langella reprising the titular roles they created in London in 2006 and shifted to Broadway in 2007.  They are joined by a spectacular supporting cast, including Oliver Platt and Sam Rockwell as journalists Bob Zelnick and James Reston Jr. and Kevin Bacon as Nixon's unflinchingly loyal chief of staff Jack Brennan.  Rather than getting bogged down in the dense material, Howard and the stellar group of actors succeed in giving the whole endeavor the gravitas of a heavyweight bout.

Sheen brings to life Frost's charisma and tenacity in the same he brought to life Tony Blair's cool diplomacy in The Queen, another Morgan creation.  Frost does whatever it takes, including doling out his own cash, to land the interviews with with America's most infamous leader.  In doing so he faces a conflict between his desire to be accepted by the real journalistic community represented by Zelnick and Reston, and his desire to continue his luxurious playboy lifestyle.

The Academy Award-nominated Langella is in his own league playing perhaps the most complicated figure in twentieth century American history.  Despite the fact that he does not bear a striking resemblance to the 37th president, Langella inhabits all aspects of his persona, and this is not to say he achieves a mere impersonation.  Langella reaches deeper to show the world a man consumed with grief and desperate to achieve redemption.

Howard mastefully takes the audience through the preparation for the interviews, showing Nixon the master diplomat growing more confident, as the at-times flippant Frost fails to keep his focus.  However, the movie is at its best, understandably, during the moments when the title characters square-off in their respective chairs. Howard uses every advantage film affords him to enhance Morgan's stage masterpiece.  His close-ups and quick cuts during the interview sequences build a back and forth tension similar to a Federer-Nadal grand slam final.

A lot has been made about the historical inaccuracies surrounding Frost/Nixon.  Despite this, the film still succeeds on many levels.  The pertinence of a story about disgraced president, and the journalists who seek answers on behalf of a confused and despairing country may seem obvious, given the modern climate.  Modern parallels aside, Frost/Nixon will endure as a great film because it is a cat and mouse game of the highest calibur.