Frost/Nixon (2008)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Simply A Masterpiece

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

After the Watergate event that precipitated the demise of President Nixon, the nation anxiously waited for the interview that would very likely define the Nixon legacy. "Frost/Nixon" chronicles the process behind (and during) that very interview.For a basic plot summary, the film looks at two primary areas: the creation of the interview, which includes the odd choice of David Frost (Michael Sheen), and then the actual interview of Nixon (Frank Langella) itself, depicted as a battle of intellectual wits between both camps.What really makes this movie stand out is the incredible tension that director Ron Howard creates. Because of the deceit that Watergate perpetuated, as well as the pardon of Nixon by Gerald Ford that left much of the nation feeling that justice had not been served, this interview felt more important than just a few hours of airtime. Howard really captures that intensity, especially towards the end during the part of the interview that is now so well-known.On a quick note, Langella is as good of a "Nixon" as is humanly possible. At times, when the camera angle and his posture is right, you'll think that the former President is actually on screen himself.If you lived through that time period and remember it well, this film will likely flood you with a wave of nostalgia (both good and bad). However, I was born in 1985 and was STILL entranced by this film, knowing hardly anything going in about the interview.Thus, for all fans of political/cultural dramas, this is a worthwhile watch. It could have done a few things better, but overall it accomplishes its mission nicely: to re-create the importance and cultural relevance of those Frost/Nixon interviews.

I love interview movies, movies that centre around an important interview and all the trails that come with it so as you can imagine Frost/Nixon immediately appealed to me and was definitely worth the watch. I thought this film was fantastic with two excellent lead performances. Frank Langella gives the performance of his life in this film he's truly amazing at portraying a fragile and fearful man trying to regain some humanity that he lost to his presidency. Michael Sheen was also really good in this movies you could tell just how badly he wanted this interview and how desperate he was to get it done right. The actual interviews themselves were very well executed, the tactics that went into both their sides leaves you riveted and intrigued and makes Nixon eventual apology feel earned and all the more satisfying, I wasn't alive to watch the actual interviews but I can imagine they felt the same way they do in the movie. Ron Howard did such a good job at directing this movie he makes sure that your always engaged and riveted by what your seeing and turned what could have been a boring and melodramatic drama into something much better than that. The chemistry between Nixon and Frost is great the tension between them and some of their more personal scenes made the film all the better. However I do have a few flaws for one I didn't like the documentary style flash forwards with the characters it just felt weird and out of place and ultimately just unnecessary. The film also does suffer from it taking some time to find it's footing but eventually does. I really like Rebecca Hall and she was really good in this movie but I didn't really get her character I don't know if her character was a part of the real life events but even if that's the case I still didn't think she fit her relationship with Frost just comes out of nowhere and is mostly skipped over. Overall Frost/Nixon is a fantastic film with a great main conflict and performances and is by far one of Ron Howard's greatest achievements. 85%/A-

Frost/Nixon was captivating the whole way through. It was a competition between two men, a political outsider and insider both looking to use the media to advance their careers.The film does fawn Frost's legacy though. In real life, Nixon's admission to his crimes was a decision he had planned rather than one that Frost maneuvered out of him. Langella's portrayal of Nixon was uncannily accurate, except his Nixon was far more empathetic than the real one.Some bits of fiction were questionable. The shoe scene was pure Hollywood. Nixon's drunk call never happened, but it shed light on the insecurities and motivations that the real life Nixon faced. Nixon got into politics because he was constantly bullied and stepped as a young adult. The line between education and entertainment was certainly crossed, but it's a really engrossing watch nonetheless.

It's an interview where the president is interviewed for his crimes. Now, this is a kind of movie that made me doze off, it seemed like a character study with a historical background. A man has done something wrong and it's all up to few other people to make him accept the crime or make him guilty. Now, Nixon was the president of USA and he was the only president to have resigned in 1974 for being part of a Watergate scandal. It's a beginning of a fall, and a fall of a president has to be interesting or at least there has to be substantial interest. Ron Howard creates that interest by making this film like a Network kind of film, where media and the impact of media plays a huge role in determining the character of a person. You are what you you say more than you are what you do, this seems to be an undercurrent theme in this media run movie. Acted competently by Michael Sheen as David Frost, the man who interviewed the president Richard Nixon, played by Frank Langella. These two performances are enough to make it go and see it. Having said that, it's their dialogue that has lot many details that make us sit and observe and then they do not help us conclude but rather confuse us what is right and what is wrong. Maybe, the point was to show that we are grey and not black and white, fair enough and if that's the point surely it was well made. Ron Howard as a director seems to be great at such Historical Dramas, be it Apollo 13 or Beautiful Mind or Cinderella Man. This one is no surprise and definitely it's a good film and indeed worth a watch for its screenplay and dialogue and acting more than anything else. The production design was good, the editing could have been better for a near 2 hour film that is all about an interview where lot many details are revealed. It's not a film where we can relate to, it neither one that is entertaining and makes us sit and watch, it's one that is simply made for showing us the brain behind a deed or rather misdeed. A 3/5 for definitely good film but I am sorry coz it did not work for me. Maybe, I am not interested in the politics involved in the film.