Product Details

• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Studio: Universal Studios
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00188NXNO
• For more information about "Frost/Nixon [Theatrical Release]" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Interviews That Stunned the World, December 10, 2008

By 

Chris Pandolfi (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Frost/Nixon [Theatrical Release] (Theatrical Release)

In March of 1977, British television personality David Frost interviewed former President of the United States Richard Nixon in a series of four ninety-minute installments. On the basis of the film that recreates these interviews, Ron Howard's "Frost/Nixon," I wish I had been around to see them when they originally aired. Partly, it has to do with the fact that they revealed a great deal about Nixon, and I'm not merely referring to historical facts; his on-camera mannerisms spoke volumes about him, from his carefully worded, intentionally long-winded answers to his damp upper lip and the handkerchief he used to blot it with. Screenwriter Peter Morgan, who adapted his own stage play, could have easily written Nixon as a tiresome cliché, a loathsome fallen hero who would live out his life in disgrace. Instead, he opted to reveal the humanity behind the presidency--he a deeply insecure man, self-destructive and paranoid, a non-people person that somehow got into a very gregarious position.

Frank Langella, reprising his stage role, gives one of the year's best performances as Nixon. He captures not only the man's distinctive voice, but also his sly sense of humor, one that seemed less like a personality quirk and more like a defense mechanism. It's quite possible it was the last line of communication; it's no secret that the real Nixon hated the press, and for all intents and purposes, the press hated him back, especially after a string of political errors--not the least of which was the Watergate scandal--led to his 1974 resignation. There's a certain dignity to the way the film handles these aspects of Nixon's life, although it may have been nothing more than an act of desperation on his part. Despite his troubled past and stormy presidency, he clung to the hope that he would somehow secure his legacy. It's no wonder, then, that he accepted Frost's offer for a series of interviews (which would come along with a check for $600,000 and a share of the interview's profits).

Here enters Frost (Michael Sheen, also reprising his stage role), who found moderate success in England, Australia, and the United States as a broadcaster of sorts. He's initially portrayed as a deeply charismatic playboy--sociable, laidback, and witty, a man that, according to Morgan, would consider a cocktail party his natural habitat. His love of women is more or less pushed aside in favor of his one relationship with Caroline Cushing (Rebecca Hall), who--in the film, at least--falls for Frost as he flies to Los Angeles for the Nixon interviews. But as the film progresses, he gradually reveals himself as a man desperate to be a part of the journalistic in-crowd, especially in America, where success is "unlike success anywhere else." While bothered by Nixon's denial of the Watergate cover-up, the truth is that Frost was also hoping for the interviews to revive his career.

And that's the genius of this movie: It shows how both men are more alike than they are different. They're moral opponents, yet they clamor to stay in the spotlight, and they rely heavily on teams to see them through the momentous debates. Frost and his producer, John Birt (Matthew Macfadyen), join ranks with executive producer Bob Zelnick (Oliver Platt) and writer James Reston, Jr. (Sam Rockwell), both serving as researchers. Both men have reputations on the line, which is problematic given Frost's financial problems, the money for the interviews coming out of his own pocket. It doesn't help that Reston is hell bent on cornering Nixon and making him look like a fool. As Nixon approaches the interview site--a suburban home--Reston glances out the window and sees him in person for the first time: "He's taller than I imagined," he says to Zelnick. "Tanned. The least he can do is look ravaged."

Nixon's team is led by Lieutenant Colonel Jack Brennan (Kevin Bacon), who also distrusts the media. He sees Frost not as an interviewer, but as a dangerous intruder who's intellectually beneath him. He goes through the entire film fiercely protective of Nixon, going so far as to call Frost and threaten to ruin him should he decide to ask questions that shouldn't be asked.

The interview scenes are works of art in and of themselves, masterfully combining verbatim dialogue with strategic camerawork. So much could have gone wrong, here; Howard could have filmed bland debate scenes, with generic wide shots of two people sitting across from each other. Thankfully, he uses clever close-ups and the natural pacing of the interviews to build tension. The first interview is rough on Frost, who barely had time to pose questions between Nixon's drawn-out musings. And this is despite the inflammatory nature of the first question, "Why didn't you burn the tapes?" But the suspense steadily grows, and it doesn't pause between interviews. Case in point: The climactic phone call between Nixon and Frost the night before the final interview. To describe the scene or quote lines of dialogue would do you a great disservice; let's just say that it's the perfect precursor to the next scene, when Frost takes off his journalistic gloves and lets Nixon have it.

I find it amazing that thriller-like elements are utilized so successfully in a film that's essentially a character study. Were it nothing more than a political commentary, "Frost/Nixon" would be tragically uninspired, even with the casting of wonderful actors like Langella and Sheen. This movie consistently surprised me, first with its ability to humanize the main characters, then with Morgan's willingness to blend history with drama, then with his thought-provoking dialogue, then with Howard's attention to the smallest details, like hand gestures and the placement of each character in a shot. The most surprising thing of all was the way Nixon regarded his adversary with a restrained sense of respect and admiration, someone worthy of a good debate. This is one of the year's best films.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FROST/NIXON: In The Political Media Arena, December 28, 2008

By 

Erik North (San Gabriel, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Frost/Nixon [Theatrical Release] (Theatrical Release)

What is it about the 37th president of the United States, Richard Milhous Nixon that, on the one hand, repels people so much, and yet, on the other hand, also keeps them coming back for more? The answer, as has been documented endlessly ever since his fall from grace in 1974, is that he was an enormously complex and tortured figure. And in the spring of 1977, more of that complex and tortured figure came out in a four-part series of 90-minute interviews Nixon did from his San Clemente compound with the relatively untested David Frost. Those interviews formed the basis for Peter Morgan's play "Frost/Nixon"; and thanks to the direction of Ron Howard (BACKDRAFT; APOLLO 13), that play has come to life on the big screen in a big way.

Reprising the roles they had created on stage, Michael Sheen and Frank Langella are well matched as, respectively, British talk show personality David Frost and the disgraced 37th president of the United States. For cinematic purposes, Morgan's screenplay expands his play to include the behind-the-scenes intrigue leading up to the interviews that Frost conducted with Nixon from the ex-president's enclave in San Clemente during March and April 1977. Because Frost, at that time, was basically seen as the British equivalent of Johnny Carson, not as a trans-Atlantic Ed Murrow or Walter Cronkite, it was thought by Nixon and his handlers that he would be an easy mark. And as both the play and this subsequent film show, Frost did throw some softball questions at Nixon to loosen him up. But urged on by his American handlers, including noted Nixon foe James Reston (Sam Rockwell) and political historian Bob Zelnick (Oliver Platt), Frost cut right to the chase and got Nixon to be just a little bit more candid than the law (which Nixon was known to have broken during his presidency on more than a few occasions) would allow. Under what amounted to cross-examination regarding the motivations and the legalities of Watergate, Nixon was heard to exclaim to Frost: "If the president does something, then it's not illegal." As translated from the stage onto the screen, this battle royale between a future media giant and a fallen president is riveting; and given the fact that these interviews drew some of the highest ratings ever for any face-to-face interview ever broadcast for television, it never gets boring.

Bringing any kind of stage play, even a Tony Award winner like "Frost/Nixon" to the big screen can pose a lot of problems. If not done right, it can become very tedious to watch, to the point where audiences notice all too soon that it is essentially what it was originally--a stage play. But FROST/NIXON, as a film, takes the same approach that Sidney Lumet took in 1957 with adapting Reginald Rose's play "Twelve Angry Men" so superbly to the big screen: the idea of making the material interesting by letting the camera move and letting the actors do their thing. The fact that both Sheen and Langella do very believable jobs at recreating their stage roles says a lot about how they, Howard, and Morgan approached this enterprise--with great care, and with a penchant for high drama (satirical jabs at 1970s fashions aside).

This is by far one of the best films of 2008, and comes highly recommended.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Frost/Nixon Movie Review from The Massie Twins, December 4, 2008

By 

thejoelmeister "www.GoneWithTheTwins.com" (www.GoneWithTheTwins.com) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Frost/Nixon [Theatrical Release] (Theatrical Release)

Driven by an electrifying performance from Frank Langella as the controversial thirty-seventh President, Frost/Nixon plays out like a tense cat and mouse thriller - quite a feat for a film whose premise is essentially a series of interviews. Based on Peter Morgan's play and the true story of a talk show host who took on a political powerhouse, Ron Howard's latest never backs down in its intense presentation of the struggle of a few men to bring closure to one of the most notorious conspiracies of all time.

When witty British talk show host David Frost (Michael Sheen) plots his return to American television credibility with an in-depth four part interview with disgraced President Nixon (Frank Langella), he quickly finds he's in over his head. As the major studios turn down his offer, his investors rapidly withdraw funding, and his colleagues lose faith in their leader, Frost sees his chance at success steadily faltering. With his political nemesis taunting him in mind games and verbal trickery, Frost must engage in a deceptive no-holds-barred game of wits where only one can walk away victorious.

Following in the footsteps of the original stage play's sensational performances, both Sheen and Langella feed off each other's competitive energy to create a back-and-forth verbal jousting match in an attempt to dethrone the other's position of confidence. But their strong contributions are not alone as a top-notch supporting cast brilliantly succeeds in filling out the story behind the scenes. Most notable are Frost's collaborators, played with fiery determination by Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell, and Geoffrey Gould. Toby Jones and Kevin Bacon also offer fine performances as aides in Nixon's camp and the beautiful Rebecca Hall handles her role with ease.

Frost/Nixon makes use of a device remembered from such films as Warren Beatty's Reds, in which key associates of the subject matter will recount hindsight about the events that are unfolding on screen (in this case they are the same actors in the film, where as in Reds they were real people). It is a form of organization and narration, but in Frost/Nixon it is relatively unnecessary. The use of this for storytelling purposes causes the film to have a pseudo-documentary feel, although fortunately the screenplay is so compelling that as the movie progresses it could even be interpreted as a white-knuckle political thriller.

Frost/Nixon examines the tension between the American people and their outrage over criminal Presidential acts, shown through the cross-examination of Richard Nixon by talk show host David Frost. A kind of underdog story (the sort Ron Howard often tackles) this political boxing match is the tightly scripted drama that Oliver Stone's W. wishes it could have been. Filled with memorable performances from a highly talented cast, Frost/Nixon never falters in submersing its audience in the intriguing battles waged for closure.

- The Massie Twins