Frost/Nixon

The movie is set around the series of interviews conducted by English playboy TV host David Frost (Michael Sheen), with infamous US President Richard Nixon (Frank Langella).

The early part of the movie is set around Frost trying to get the money up to pay for the interviews with Nixon that will see him back on top in the US, as I allude to later the story is very similar to a fight movie's, Only rather than having up and comer vs champion or old dog looking for redemption, you have two men with similar motives, both have had a spell in the limelight at the height of their chosen profession and are wanting that limelight back. Nixon wants his reputatuion back and Frost wants to gain a reputation as more than a lightweight TV interviewer.

The acting is solid for the most part with Sam Rockwell giving the standout performance for me. Langella is mostly good but Sheen feels like he is playing Frost as a camp parody at times, whilst at others he imbues him with a likable underdog quality.

I liked the structure, using the talking heads documentary looking back at the events with members of both supporting teams, inter-cut with the movies glossy fly on the wall style documentary. However I felt they betrayed this with the phone call scene before the final interview scene, it was so Hollywood and unnecessary, Frost's subsequent "training montage" was just cliche.

The way Howard sets the interview segments up like a prizefight with each verbal pugilist having their own corner team, is very effective and the interview scenes are engrossing and compelling, I wish they had been longer as the behind the scenes stuff padded around them is far less interesting.

It's an average movie, well marshaled by Howard with 2 solid lead performances and a couple of really good scenes.

7.5/10