“That’s our tragedy, you and I, Mr. Frost. No matter how high we get, they still look down at us.”
Frost/Nixon tells the true story of British talk show host David Frost and his famous interview series with former President Richard Nixon. The story follows Frost as he works to secure the interview with Nixon, who has recently resigned in the wake of the Watergate Hearings. By putting together his own group of investigators, he hopes to get out of Nixon what the American people deserve: a confession for the cover-up.
This movie features a stacked cast, led by Michael Sheen (Good Omens, Midnight in Paris) as David Frost. His performance strikes a delicate balance as he plays the smiling charismatic talk-show host whose anxieties and insecurities are only shown through brief moments and slight expression changes. His investigative team played by Matthew MacFayden (Succession, Pride and Prejudice), Sam Rockwell (Moon, Seven Psychopaths), and Oliver Platt (Chicago Med, Lake Placid) are all excellent, providing different emotions and reactions to the Watergate scandal and Nixon’s subsequent exit from D.C. political society. And of course, I would be remiss not to mention Frank Langella (Dracula, The Ninth Gate) as Nixon, who plays the corrupt politician so well while still leaving some (though not much) room for empathy.
The interviews themselves are where this film really shines. The uncomfortable tension between Langella and Sheen is a tour-de-force, leaving you on the edge of your seat and squirming. It’s a classic David and Goliath story, where the inexperienced talk-show host is up against a political giant with a lifetime of experience.
Surprisingly though, this is no Sorkin-esque thriller. This is a drama through and through, with all the lingering shots and emotional swells to prove it. That’s not to say this film is melodramatic though. Most of its core moments feel earned, and leave the audience with a sense of relief once things finally work out. And, if you know the story, you know things do work out.
This movie’s strength as a story is unfortunately its weakness as a historical drama. Things never wrap up so neatly in history, and this film makes changes to ensure we get a tidy three-act structure. To put it a different way, this film has the biopic problem: there must be a clear hero and a clear villain. Frost as our hero disregards any self-serving motives the real-life David Frost more than likely had, and Nixon as the villain who was “taken down” by the Frost interviews rewrites history in a way that brings self-importance to a political event that, if it hadn’t happened, would likely not have changed history all that much. Frost’s flaws feel small and petty compared to the insurmountable ego and bigotry of Nixon, and there are moments where the difference feels almost too stark to suspend your disbelief.
All political movies have a political agenda, and Frost/Nixon is no different. It is most obvious when Kevin Bacon’s Jack Brennan sneers about the liberals taking down Nixon. Any conversations between Nixon and his team are full of uncomfortable racial epithets, insults, and vitriol. By stark contrast, Frost’s team is optimistic and jovial, speaking of America’s future with hope. Whatever your political leanings, it’s important to consider all movies of this genre have an edge of propaganda, and real life is rarely so simple.
Overall, I like this movie. It’s a little hokey, but it’s a feel-good drama. I can’t promise it will make you feel better during election season, but it may prove a fun and entertaining distraction.