Frost/Nixon is a great example of just how stage to screen adaptations should be done. That’s not saying it’s perfect, but it does manage to seamlessly avoid the box-ey, talk-ey feel of so many converted works (think the choreography of much of The Producers and the chat-fest that was Closer). This is a remarkable achievement when you consider that the focus of the subject is an interview between two men in a small room. This movie manages to make such a conversation feel like a duel to the death, which it ultimately was in a professional sense.
The film deals with the famous 1977 television interviews of the disgraced Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) by British chat show host David Frost (Michael Sheen). The tension surrounding the interviews is beautifully built, as both men prepare vigorously with teams passionately invested in the outcome. Frost’s researchers are Americans eager to give Nixon the trial he never had, and garner some sort of confession. Nixon’s chief of staff (played by Kevin Bacon) sees this as a chance for his boss to regain his stature and revise history.
Frost was considered a little light on credibility, and no match for Nixon. Before this historical match he spent his time talking to celebrities for his Australian and British shows. Nixon was a complete pariah whose ego couldn’t handle his legacy being trashed.
The era is perfectly re-created (with the glaring exception of the existence of the Toaster building in a Sydney Harbour shot), down to airplane décor that would make Austin Powers proud. Director Ron Howard is an expert in this area (see Apollo 13 and A Beautiful Mind). He also masterfully pulls us through a series of locations and viewpoints that never allow the film to wallow. By the time his big dialogue set pieces come around, we don’t mind that he lingers, the tensions between all the characters has been built to such an extent.
The two leads are returning to the roles they originally owned in the London and Broadway productions of the roles. Where in The Producers this meant hammy, over-acting to the back of the theatre, here the stars have adjusted and toned down their efforts, taking advantage of the nuances a close-up allows. Sheen is great as Frost, in over his head, but utterly determined. This is Langella’s film though – his portrayal of Nixon is mesmerizing. His former President is layered, complex, intelligent and contradictory. Langella makes America’s political bogeyman both horrifying and sympathetic. You find yourself abhorring his actions but understanding why he took them, even while you disagree with those motivations.
There are few flaws here. Some of the details of what Nixon has done are hazy, and how Frost catches him out in the end feels rushed and unclear which slightly under-cuts the payoff (but not by much). Rebecca Hall’s character, Frost’s girlfriend, is an under-done addition – only the strength of her acting stops the role from being completely superfluous.
Ultimately this is a fascinating film centred on a powerhouse performance. It’s also a fascinating education on the power of words, ego and history.
