Yeah I know, I couldn't be any later on this but I've got a Netflix queue of about 30 movies that I never got around to seeing. Just throw 'em in the mail and don't think about it. Kind of like "Set It And Forget It" minus the slackjacked white people in the audience and stupid, overexcited Ron Popeil. Anyways, the latest this week was Frost/Nixon. One of those movies that got a lot of hype around Oscar time, but I just never got around to seeing. I was kind of hesitant at first. A movie about an interview...really? But it was Ron Howard and the man is a genius so I it was most definitely worth a watch.
I was completely wrong in thinking this would be boring. Had no idea a movie about a simple interview could be so goddamn compelling. The 120 minutes absolutely flew by and before I knew it the movie was over. Obviously it revolved around the famous Nixon Watergate controversy and the subsequent interview by English TV personality David Frost. Ron Howard crafted this incredible story that highlighted the flaws of each character and made me care about what was going to happen. I'm always amazed when films about historic events can still be really interesting, especially one about an interview about an event. It followed David Frost on his hellbent mission to get this interview made and made well. Nobody believed in him at first, after all he was just some goofy British talk show host trying to take on the biggest political scandal to date. Michael Sheen was able to flip the switch between fake, happy, 'everything's fine' side of David Frost when in public, then immediately digress the realist, depressed, 'everything's gone to shit' side. Then there was Nixon. Frank Langella absolutely nailed the intimidating nature of the character. There were certain scenes where you can see just by a glint in his eye that he knew he was owning Frost. Without these amazing performances the movie wouldn't be what it was.
The saddest thing was that this film only made $2 million dollars over budget. For the marketing and trailer attention this movie got, it grossly underperformed. Which is a damn shame because it was genius. Ron Howard created an intense, visceral feel to the interviews. At times it felt more like a boxing match than two people talking. And I realize I run the risk of sounding like an absolute dick by saying that, but it's true. Frost was getting verbally beaten down by Nixon throughout most of the taping, making it look like a fluff piece and Frost like a complete sissy. Yes, that's right, a sissy. Then Nixon got hammered one
night and called Frost. Essentially told him, I don't give a shit what you try, I'm gonna do whatever it takes to come out on top. Which is exactly what he was doing up till then. Frost found some balls and made Nixon confess that he not only knowingly broke the law, but didn't really give a shit about it. I wasn't even around during the Watergate scandal and I felt the power of his admission. He got the former President to admit that he doesn't think it's illegal for a President to break certain laws. That pretty much sums up what a bad motherfucker Richard Nixon is. He broke the laws, said "suck it, I'd do it again" and walked off into the sunset.
I'm on the verge of going into full on mancrush territory here, but Sam Rockwell was again fantastic in this. He pretty much steals every movie he's in, this is a fact of life. Sam (yeah I call him Sam, we're good buddies teehee) played a devoted researcher who wanted nothing more than to watch Nixon burn. Seeing the intensity he played the character with was amazing. Little scenes like when he completely bitched out of blowing off Nixon and the sheer disappointment on his face when Frost was blowing it added a lot to his character. I didn't even know Rockwell was in it until the opening credits started. He was incredible as always. This film just cemented what a legend Ron Howard is. Of course with Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, and Cinderella Man under your filmography you're already pretty much a modern day icon. If for some reason you're an asshole like me and haven't seen this yet go do it. Netflix, Blu-Ray, On Demand, whatever. See it.
Bottom line: Ron Howard found a way to craft an incredibly compelling story around a simple interview; add to that the amazing performance by lead and supporting cast, and Frost/Nixon may be the finest film Howard's ever made.
Overall score: 10/10
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