FamilyFans Movies
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FROST/NIXON (R)
Plot Summary: The story behind the post-Watergate interviews between David Frost and Richard Nixon.
Reason for the Rating: Some language.
Watergate. It’s an event that we are all familiar with. If we didn’t live through it, we’ve seen All the President’s Men or learned many of the facts in school. If you did live through it, Watergate is an event that bears emotion and opinion for all involved. Which is what makes Frost/Nixon such an interesting movie. It’s far enough away from the occurrence to allow many to see it without the emotion attached, and brings to life events that took place before some of us were born or can remember.
David Frost (Michael Sheen) was not the man anyone would have chosen to interview former president Richard Nixon. Frost was an entertainer. A talk-show host who was well known in Australia and England, but not so much in America. Yet, this didn’t stop him from pursuing his idea of interviewing a man who had betrayed the American people and, basically, got away with it. Except for losing the presidency, Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) was never prosecuted for the part his played in Watergate.
Three years after resigning
the presidency, Richard Nixon was frustrated. A man of power and importance
reduced to hiding away in his home. Lonely and discouraged, he was intrigued by
the offer made by David Frost, particularly the idea of making some money. An
easy interview, by an entertainer who was no match intellectually for someone
like Nixon. So everyone thought. Frost was only interested in ratings and the
status such an interview would provide, and Nixon was eager to remind America of
all the good things he had previously done.
And, that’s the way the interview would have gone, if Nixon hadn’t had multiple demons he was fighting, and Frost hadn’t financed the whole thing from his own pocket. Its success was vital to his future career and bank account. In the movie, it is portrayed that Nixon really wanted to confess, and that he desperately wanted to be liked. To be forgiven and accepted back into the inner circle…all the things Frost embodied.
What I found interesting
about Frost/Nixon was its sympathy for Nixon. At the end, instead of
feeling satisfied that Nixon finally confessed to a cover-up, I was left feeling
sorry for such a broken man, who longed for acceptance. I wondered how Charles
Colson would view this portrayal of his former boss. Was his rise to such a
powerful position all for acceptance and to show “the snobs” that he really
could be a success? I wondered how people would have reacted to such a portrayal
back in the 1970’s, when they were cheering at his resignation.
FAMILYFANS RECOMMENDS:
There are many reasons why this movie was nominated for multiple Oscars, including Best Actor and Best Movie. From the directing (Ron Howard) to the music by Hans Zimmer, Frost/Nixon is a movie that is phenomenally done. If you aren’t old enough to remember Watergate, go see this movie with someone who does. It will make for some interesting conversation afterward.
AFTER THE SHOW:
Use these questions to spark discussion among family members who are interested in this movie:
• What other major national events do you remember? Where were you when they occurred?
• Tell about a time in your life when you felt unaccepted. How did it change you?
• If you could have spoken to the Richard Nixon portrayed in the movie, what would you have said to him? Explain your answer.
JW
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