President Richard Nixon still wielded considerable clout even after he resigned from the highest office in the land.
But he was no match for a talk show host known more for his carousing than his journalistic credentials.
At a time when Joe the Plumber is being mocked for traveling to Israel to work as a war correspondent, it’s easy to draw plenty of parallels from director Ron Howard’s “Frost/Nixon.”
The film, based on the stage drama, is pure Howard – down to the casting of the director’s brother, Clint, in a cameo role. It’s exquisitely slick entertainment, with historical accuracy smudged to make the plot points connect in reassuring fashion.
And Howard, weaned on sitcom TV, can’t resist a few coy reaction shots throughout the otherwise sober drama.
That doesn’t detract from its arresting presentation, a story punctuated by two towering performances.
Michael Sheen, overshadowed by “The Queen” herself three years ago, will likely stay home on Oscar night next month while the more colorful co-star, Frank Langella, gets all the accolades.
“Frost/Nixon” is told, intially, in faux documentary style. A gaggle of players in Nixon’s post-presidential life recall the giant interview he did with talk show host David Frost (Sheen).
Nixon (Langella) is still licking his wounds after his resignation, and he’d like nothing more than to start renovating his legacy.
Enter Frost, a British TV personality on the decline who gets the crazy idea he can interview Nixon and vault himself back to the top.
Only no one takes Frost seriously except Nixon, who’s all too eager to cash the Brit’s $600,000 offer (checkbook journalism takes root) and swat back what he expects will be softball questions.
But Frost can’t sell his interview to syndicators unless there’s a chance he’ll get the ex-president to “confess” to his crimes. Helping on that front is a small team of researchers led by a feisty author (Sam Rockwell) who demands Frost take the interview seriously.
What follows is nothing less than a heavyweight title fight, with both sides trading body blows until the champ is left reeling on the ropes.
Langella is a marvel as Nixon, crafting an amazing portrait without stooping to mimicry. He’s power incarnate even in his decline, a crafty warrior still fighting for his professional life. He’s also someone audiences can connect with, a deeply flawed man who retains a sense of his own mortality – and personal limitations – when pressed hard enough.
Yet Sheen is his equal, making his shallow showman something more than just a caricature. Langella’s performance doesn’t rise to Oscar level without Sheen’s sly handiwork.
Media critics can read volumes into the film, especially how all the journalists involved here were less interested in objectivity than hounding an apology out of the disgraced leader.
That’s an argument for another post. “Frost/Nixon” remains a powerful film, an entertaining mashup of one of journalism’s most talked about interviews.
(Photo: Michael Sheen and Frank Langella battle it out in “Frost/Nixon,” a film sure to snare a few Oscar nomination.)
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