Frost/Nixon - Ron Howard
When drafting this piece, I found it very hard to get started. There is nothing that really jumps out about this film.
It’s not great. It’s not bad. I thought the most interesting feature of this film was some of the period-specific things.
The first of these is the aeroplane that Frost takes to the US. There is a walk-up bar up a spiral staircase.
There is a canapé bar in the middle of the rows. Clearly first class, but this is next level.
The other is all of the sets. The décor and buildings are all so fantastic that I was left looking at all of this rather than what was going on in the film.
Overall, the narrative is good, but it is just a bit same-same.
The opening sets up Nixon’s resignation after Watergate, so we have some idea about where this interview takes place chronologically.
The setup of all the actors as talking heads, like a documentary, is a neat touch.
The whole backstory of how Frost got the interview is really what the film is about. He is a bit of a nobody. His last show in the UK was cancelled, and he moved to Australia.
Nixon’s staff think that Frost is their best option as he is a nobody and is offering more money. We also get to see that Nixon is keen to tell his story, set the record straight.
The money to pay for the whole thing is where the story of the film comes from. The crisis is when none of the US networks will carry it, mainly due to do with the fact that Frost is paying for the interview.
This leaves Frost running around trying to fund the film through advertising rather than focusing on preparation.
The rest of his research team doesn’t realise that Frost funds the entire project, and so these actions make them concerned about how badly this is going to go, as their careers are on the line.
Then the filming begins, and it is a disaster. Nixon runs roughshod over Frost. The research team are furious with how it is handled.
Then the phone call happens. Nixon drunkenly dials Frost one night before the final day of shooting. He comes across as very vulnerable and bitter.
Frost realises that he has to nail him on Watergate, so he spends the rest of the time preparing step-by-step to take him apart.
He does it. He gets Nixon to admit and apologise for his actions. More than that, he uses TV perfectly to capture the emotion as it happens.
