In the hands of a wrong director (think Oliver Stone), this could have been a simplistic, predictable rehashing of all that was wrong with Richard Nixon. It wasn't. Under the direction of Ron Howard and a wonderful cast, Frost/Nixon deftly retells of the people and processes that gave us the famous interviews. The film works well because it expertly contrasts the different egos of David Frost and Richard Nixon. Men with different egos, but pushing them in the same direction. By wisely working this angle the film does not get caught in boring the viewer with the mundane or expected.

Enough cannot be said about Frank Langella's portrayal of Nixon. He catches his movements and idiosyncrasies perfectly without mocking them. He could have portrayed him as clownish and sinister, but instead leaves the viewer seeing him as a tragic figure without inducing false sympathy. Although Nixon is rightly viewed as a failed president, he is seen as undone by his own weaknesses; never quite coming to grips with his failings. These weaknesses are illuminated by Nixon's publicist, Swifty Lazar, whose name and actions become a visual manifestation of Nixon's less than honorable motives. What I appreciate most is the film gives viewers credit by creating very human picture of Nixon and contrasting him with Frost's own selfish motives. This lets the viewer come to their own conclusion about each man without excusing their flaws, something rarely done by Hollywood when examining political and media figures.

I highly recommend this film whether you have interest in the topic or not because it is more than an examination of the famous interviews - it examines why people do the things they do.


Other Critic's Review:
Big Hollywood (Geoff Shepard)
Roger Ebert