Frost/Nixon

I'm sure I'm not the first to make this comparison, but the film that Frost/Nixon most reminds me of is Rocky. Of course this is a much more literate version, with broken egos instead of noses. For those to young to remember, about two years after Richard Nixon resigned the Presidency in disgrace, David Frost, a relatively lightweight talk show host, decides to conduct a series of interviews with the former President. Since no one considers him to be a "hard news" guy, he's not able to sell it to the networks, and takes on considerable financial risk to himself. The film also shows the difficulty Mr. Frost had in selling the project to his own research staff, who didn't have a lot more respect for his abilities than the networks did. This film does an excellent job in portraying the behind the scenes preparations that both sides went through, as Mr. Frost assumes the role of a prosecutor that Mr. Nixon would never have to face in an actual court of law. The scenes of the actual interviews are quite revealing as both combatants slowly build to the only topic that frankly anyone is interested in, namely the Watergate break in, and its aftermath. Frank Langella is getting most of the acclaim for his outstanding performance, and he deserves every bit of it, but, Michael Sheen as David Frost also does a fantastic job in a much more subtle role. The film, while not glossing over Mr. Nixon's misdeeds does succeed in humanizing him, while also showing just how uncomfortable he was with people. It's amazing to know that someone like this was so successful in his chosen career. I'm also old enough to remember the Nixon Presidency, and Watergate, and I remember at the time that I considered him akin to the devil. I'm not ashamed to admit though, that I felt some sympathy for him as the film progressed. A great film, and history lesson...and I can't wait till "W" gets his turn.

Rating - 4 Stars