FROST NIXON
Starring:
-Frank Langella
-Michael Sheen
-Oliver Platt
-Sam Rockwell
-Kevin Bacon
-Matthew MacFayden
Directed by: Ron Howard
Screenplay Credits: Peter Morgan
MPAA Rating: R - for some language
Originally a play, FROST NIXON is based on a series of interviews conducted by British comedian David Frost shortly after President Richard M. "Tricky Dick" Nixon resigned the presidency. Before signing on for this project, Opie Taylor compared the play script with the actual interviews and was impressed with what he found.
Frank Langella was extraordinary as Nixon. I've always found him a very find actor, and this performance certainly meets his standard of excellence. Michael Sheen, however, failed to impress. I thought he was quite good in the film's climax (when Frost finally works his way to the hard questions and elicits a very emotional response form the former president), but for the rest of the film he seemed smarmy, disingenuous, and most of all twitchy.
Really twitchy.
Like a little rat.
Sheen also portrayed Sir David in the stage play, and one can only hope he delivered a better performance in that medium. At any rate, I would have greatly preferred seeing someone else in the role. His surrounding team, however (including Sam Rockwell and Oliver Platt) were spot on.
The film handles the issue of "sympathy" for Nixon extremely well. There isn't sympathy in the sense that he is absolved from his wrongdoings, but rather a gritty, close-up look at the anger, sadness, and disappointment he felt in himself. When one truly fails himself, it is often rather easy to look on him with pity.
Of course, Ron Howard wanted obvious allusions made to the Bush administration, but with the passing of the recent healthcare bill, I thought only of President Obama during the film. It seems very clear to me that he's taking a few pages from Tricky Dick's book, what with the abuses of power and all. If fact, I would be surprised to find a placard with the following inscribed somewhere in his office: "If the president does it, then it is not illegal."
Keep telling yourself that, Obama. It caught up with Nixon, it will catch up with you.
FINAL GRADE: A
Off in search of people who aren't full of B.S.,
M.
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I liked this movie a lot more than I thought I would. Sam Rockwell and Oliver Patt are cool actors who usually deliver. I agree with your opinion about Micheal Sheen, something about him just seemed annoying. He did good toward the end though.
ReplyDeleteI love Frank Langella, he's a great actor. No one was suspect he could do such a good spot on of Nixon. He also did great at playing Perry White in the new Superman and as Skeletor in Masters of the Universe. There's a sweet interview on youtube wher he said he did Masters for to be hero to his son. He's one in my book.