Monday, January 19, 2009

Or ... werewolf vs. vampire: "Frost/Nixon"

Seriously, look it up. Michael Sheen played a werewolf in those crappy "Underworld" movies, while Frank Langella was Dracula in some cheesy '70s movie. Also, I'm pretty sure David Frost and Richard Nixon each had supernatural powers themselves.

We've all heard about this acclaimed adaptation of a play inspired by the (apparently) legendary post-resignation interviews of Nixon by Frost, up to that point known for his celebrity stuff. Ron Howard was at the helm, and along with the two leads, we get Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt and Kevin Bacon in key supporting roles -- the first two on Frost's side (sort of), the last the right-hand man to Tricky Dick.

Our story: Nixon, disgraced, goes into hiding. Everyone wants an interview. Frost, doing his light schtick on shows in England and Australia, see a chance to make it big in America, where he had a show canceled. He's willing to pay big for the chance to talk to Nixon, but there are a couple of problems: U.S. networks don't want to air it, and as such, advertisers aren't signing on. Yet Frost persists, and the interviews eventually are set.

Act Two (Brute? Thank you, "Police Squad"): the interviews. Oh, it is SO on. Except Nixon, despite seeming the beaten-down man, doesn't roll over. And Frost, despite his bravado, finds he's in over his head. Can this controversial project be saved?

I won't lie: I went into this movie worried it would be just two guys sitting in leather chairs jawing at each other. But there's more to it, with all the stuff about putting this thing together and what we learn about David Frost -- and Nixon, although not as much -- in the process. And once we get to it, the jawing is pretty good. (Cliche alert!) The chess match between these two is fun to watch, especially since you know there are four interviews in the deal. Heck, it's not so different from a football or basketball game, with one side going up and the other under pressure to pull out a win.

Solid performances all around. The supporting guys all nail their roles and manage to show dimension beyond their prescribed places; Bacon is probably the best. As for the leads -- both of whom had these roles on the stage -- Langella is good, but you know, it's just hard to take anyone who plays Nixon seriously. He's such a caricature now, and while Langella is solid, there were a few times when that cartoonish air came through.

That's one reason why Sheen as Frost is more impressive. Another is ... Sheen is just more impressive. I'll admit that I couldn't pick Frost out of a lineup and therefore have no idea how spot-on Sheen is. But this situation isn't so different from "Walk the Line."

No, Frost and Nixon don't sing a duet on stage. But that movie had an iconic figure and another person (his wife) at its center, and Reese Witherspoon was better than Joaquin Phoenix. Here, Sheen not only nails the fluffy Brit thing but also gives Frost some depth. There's the glam exterior, and then the struggling core. I don't know ... just seemed more real to me than Nixon. And that's with Langella doing a pretty damn good job.

These a little things, of course. The movie is good and well worth seeing, even if you didn't know there ever were Frost/Nixon interviews (as I didn't). Probably Howard's best movie, too. Some might say "Apollo 13," and that's the one I'd consider instead. Others might say "A Beautiful Mind," which I've never seen. And then there's the truth. Someday, the Academy will look back and realize the grave injustice it committed by denying a Best Picture nomination to "Gung Ho."

2 Comments:

At 1:25 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I know you just forgot about "Night Shift." Here's a nice photo of the real Frost at the time in question.

 
At 5:55 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Off Topic- Happy Diane Lane Day (1/22/09)Jefferson.

 

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