Frost/Nixon (2008) ****1/2

By 1977 Americans were outraged. A sitting President had committed numerous crimes and ran the White House almost like a white collar Corleone family. He was forced into resigning from office and was subsequently pardoned by his predecessor (whom I think was manipulated into doing because of Ford's good nature). The American people wanted closure from this man that had shattered faith in the government with a stack of tapes and defiance. They wanted to hear his arguments and how he felt about those topics that forced him into exile.

Frost/Nixon is about the legendary interviews between British TV personality David Frost (Martin Sheen) and Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) that started out as a farce but ended with the first real admissions by the disgraced President. The film is basically the build up to the interviews. Frost is not a journalist, he's and entertainer or "performer" that sees a Nixon interview as a great stepping stone. You could almost call him the Ryan Seacrest of his time. He's everywhere, yet gives no real intellectual information. He pursues the Nixon interview, which no one else will touch, betting his reputation and finances on this program.

I'm not Ron Howard's biggest fan. Probably my favorite film of his is that classic pimps in the morgue film Night Shift. Most of his other stuff comes off as sentimental crap. Frost/Nixon is a lot better than most of his usual stuff. It's a great look at what could be called the last chapter of the Watergate scandal. Michael Sheen is fantastic as David Frost, right down to his muttonchops. He fills the role with all of the super celebrity energy that filled the real Frost. Frank Langella's Nixon is equal or better than Anthony Hopkin's portrayal. Hopkins was a caricature of Nixon, while Langella nails his mannerisms and speech perfectly (even though the actual sound of the voice is off).

Frost/Nixon isn't something the kids are going to like. It's a look back at a scandal that seems akin to Jefferson's "Dusky Sally" and Lincoln's bending of the Constitution considering all they've had to digest during this decade which is starting to rival the 1970's as a huge mess. The film does establish a standard that started with these interviews- the President (or former) being more media savvy. Sure, someday we'll probably have Hall/Clinton or Oprah/Obama. But those will just be the grandchildren of these interviews.