STARRING: Frank Langella (Good Night and Good Luck, Dave); Michael Sheen (The Queen, Blood Diamond )DIRECTOR: Ron Howard (Apollo 13, Da Vinci Code, Beautiful Mind)
WRITER: Peter Morgan (The Queen, The Last King of Scotland)
PLOT: A dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon.
FIVE OBSERVATIONS
4 I just saw the play (also written by Peter Morgan) performed a couple of months ago at The Vancouver Playhouse. And while the story is still captivating, and the performances extraordinary, there’s something about seeing live theatre. There’s more intimacy and immediacy associated with plays that cannot be captured in film. So the movie was at a slight disadvantage in my eyes.
4 The things a movie can do, that live theatre cannot is show more impressive visuals and backdrops. It can also stir emotions with a compelling musical score. Ron Howard failed in this attempt. Some of the settings work well enough, but there was nothing really visually stimulating in this movie. Howard tries different things like using quick camera pans and focusing on different details but not enough to applaud the cinematography. Same goes for musical score. The beginning had some almost conspiracy-tinged elements but it very quickly falls by the wayside. It’s too bad really. So much potential.
4 Of course, the reason to watch Frost/Nixon is to see the amazing work of Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as Frost. Langella sure has come along way from playing Skeletor in The Masters of the Universe. He commands the screen as Nixon and does a great job impersonating without becoming a caricature. There is such depth to his performance. He should win the Oscar. Sheen is also impressive as the charismatic Frost. He perfectly plays the role of a charming host who is in over his head. Both actors do a fantastic job of showing and covering their true emotions. It’s a treat to watch.
4 The supporting cast is also stellar. Oliver Platt (A Time to Kill, Don't Say a Word) channels his Oliver Babish character from West Wing as Bob Zelnick, one of the researchers. Sam Rockwell (Matchstick Men, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind) also gives a fine performance. I find Kevin Bacon (every other movie) plays military roles very well. He reminded me of his character from A Few Good Men. It’s amazing how intimidating Bacon can look when he wants to be.
4 Along with acting, the story takes center stage. The lead up to the interviews are filled with great moments of tension and posturing. The interviews themselves are a well-choreographed boxing match of dialogue. If I had the time, I’d go and look at the real footage from the interviews. Colour me intrigued.
RECOMMENDATION
See it in the theatres
(Just for the Oscar worthy performances.
Visually you can wait for DVD)
COMING SOON
Film review of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
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