Frost/Nixon
2008
***½
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Rebecca Hall, Toby Jones, Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, Patty McCormack
Following the Watergate scandal, the American people wait for the resigned President Nixon to own up to his wrongdoings. To boost his public image, Nixon agrees to a lucrative and potentially soft televised interview with David Frost, a British playboy talk show host with poor journalistic credentials. Ron Howard's static drama takes some liberties with the truth to tell a captivating story of the months leading to the 1977 interview. Peter Morgan adapted his own 2006 play to the screen, and Frank Langella and Michael Sheen reprise their stage roles. Langella, in particular, is excellent. At first, his Nixon comes across as a one-dimensional, money-grubbing bigot, but the second half adds some layers to the character.
