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Ron Howard has made some excellent films - Apollo 13 comes to mind - but generally he's seen as more of a talented journeyman than a true cinematic visionary. Nevertheless, when a film displays the text "A Ron Howard Film," it's more often than not an assurance of at least a decent level of quality. Frost/Nixon proves to be one of his best films and has seen him receive his second Academy Award nomination for directing, out of five in total for the film. It is a dramatisation of the momentous interview of the shamed former President by British talk show host David Frost, in which Nixon finally admitted some culpability in the Watergate scandal that brought about his downfall. Frank Langella, who has been nominated for Best Actor, dominates the film with his embodiment of Tricky Dickie, but the main character (as suggested by the ordering of the title; this isn't Nixon/Frost) is Michael Sheen's David Frost. The story basically follows the conventional structure of a down-and-out no-hoper seeking a big score to revive his fortunes, but is lifted by the interesting historical context and a slick script.
It comes as no surprise that the writing seems so well-honed, as the script is adapted by David Morgan (currently riding high after his writing efforts on The Queen and The Last King of Scotland) from his successful stage play, which also starred the same two leads. At first it is difficult to accept either Langella or Sheen as the people they portray as neither bear much resemblance to the real individuals. However, both actors superbly imitate the vocal mannerisms and physical tics of their targets, meaning that the initial hesitancy is soon overcome. The colourful supporting cast add further interest, with Sam Rockwell and Oliver Platt particularly standing out as two of Frost's expert researchers.
To the credit of both Morgan and Howard, the film manages to conceal its stage play origins; play-to-film adaptations can have a tendency to feel overly set-bound and fundamentally uncinematic, but that's not a criticism that can be levelled at Frost/Nixon (indeed, to an extent it's hard to see how it works as a stage play, due to the use of multiple varied locations and archival footage). The period is evoked very successfully, but those with a prior knowledge or memory of these events may gain more from viewing the film. Additionally, despite Howard's propulsive direction, it's hard to shift the feeling for the first two thirds that we just want to get to the juicy part, and it never quite grips until that point is reached. It's this niggling lack of complete engrossment that sees it fall short of deserving the top accolades.
The summary
Typically for a Ron Howard film, Frost/Nixon is very accomplished and filled with quality performances but just lacks a certain X-factor that could have seen it become a classic.
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