Frost/Nixon

Ron Howard's film, which recreates the famous interviews with the former president Richard Nixon conducted by British TV personality David Frost, manages to create an atmosphere of just enough uncertainty and tension to somehow distract from the fact that it is a film centered around two people speaking together for several hours. Not surprisingly, the film tries to humanize the "monster," but not at the sake of downplaying his crimes. Nixon is portrayed as a man with a heavy conscience, many regrets, and a deep self loathing, but also a great contempt for his constituents and naivete in regard to other human beings. As the story's climax is the same as that of the actual interviews (the moment where Nixon confesses his "mistakes" to the American people), the film's purpose seems to be to show the unlikely circumstances that led to that point, and therefore shows beyond the two men to their respective teams (continually utilizing a tiresome boxinb analogy) to demonstrate what a collaborative effort is is to either maintain or break down a public image. Perhaps this film would be cathartic to those who actually lived through the pain of Nixon's election and presidency, but I imagine the actual footage would offer a bit more kick than a reproduced version. Either way, it is amazing to consider that Nixon was essentially paid to confess to a crime, and another man earned celebrity for digging it out of him, but justice was never served - a bit of irony that the film touches on but doesn't bother too much with, but which leaves me wondering, "What was the point?"

WORTH WATCHING
Rating 3 out of 5
Buy this film: Frost/Nixon

Plot: 3
Imagery: 3
Originality: 3
Soundtrack: 2
Overall: 3