Movie: Frost/Nixon

Posted on December 19th, 2009 by Ms. SP

I don’t think Frost/Nixon fully succeed in what it wanted to do. I’ve heard that the play is intended to be a verbal boxing match. Not having seen the play, I don’t know if that is the end effect of the stage production.

The movie, however, is not a tightly drawn battle between two men. The scope sprawls and even with its two hour running time, I felt there were elements that needed more time. Unfortunately, one of these elements is character portrayal and development. I thought some of the depictions and character turning points were disingenuous. They needed more layers and better connection points.

This is not to say that Frost/Nixon is not a good movie. Everything about it feels well made. The acting, especially, is outstanding. I really liked the paralleling of the two men—Frost and Nixon—in their goals, motivations, etc. Although, in standard movie style, they aren’t going to trust you enough to get it on your own. There needs to be a anvilicious, albeit supremely well-acted, scene to spell it out for everyone.

It is the last moments of the movie that save it from being good yet bland. Specifically Frank Langella saves the movie from being one of those where you’ll say, “Oh that was good,” and then not remember any of it a week later.

He is fantastic throughout, but it is in the defeated Nixon that Frank Langella lifts the movie from the story-driven first hour-and-a-half into a moment of pure emotion. When one of Frost’s researchers first started out, he scoffed at the idea of there being sympathy for the ex-president. But Langella allows that sympathy. And not because of all the wordy hooey that came before. It just seemed that Langella was not just portraying Nixon—he was bring out humanity itself.

If you want to know what humanity looks and feels like, just watch the twilight years of Richard Nixon as portrayed by Frank Langella. It’s, as they say, worth the price of admission.

How I would rate last year’s Best Picture nominees:

Actor in a Leading Role

Tags: Movies // 4 Comments »

4 Responses to “Movie: Frost/Nixon”

  1. Ms. Smarty Pants Know It All » Movie: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button // Dec 19, 2009 at 12:08 pm

    [...] Frost/Nixon [...]

  2. Ms. Smarty Pants Know It All » Movie: Milk // Dec 21, 2009 at 1:21 am

    [...] Milk is a fine, fine film. The ensemble acting here is even better than in Frost/Nixon. [...]

  3. Ms. Smarty Pants Know It All » Movie: The Reader // Dec 21, 2009 at 1:24 am

    [...] Frost/Nixon [...]

  4. Ms. Smarty Pants Know It All » Movie: The Wrestler // Dec 22, 2009 at 9:37 am

    [...] something in the water right? Even though this movie has a smaller main cast than Frost/Nixon or Milk, the performances in The Wrestler are amazing as [...]

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