American politics
Democracy in America

Sympathy for the crook

Is "Frost/Nixon" a contender for film of the year?

EVEN though it makes a hash of history, blogger Matthew Yglesias recommends Ron Howard's new historical drama "Frost/Nixon":"well-acted, and given a good, if false, story."

It is a decent movie, and the third political drama in three months to shake off the lumbering political angst of the George W Bush era—think of Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" and Robert Redford's "Lions for Lambs". Like Oliver Stone's "W." and Gus Van Sant's "Milk", "Frost/Nixon" treats the Republican Party and the conservative movement as sorry, lumbering dinosaurs, beaten by history and by their own hubris.

The story of Mr Howard's film in one sentence: foppish talk show host David Frost scores the first major post-White House interview with Richard Nixon, is outmatched by the ex-president's intellect, but eventually grinds him down to contrition about Watergate. Michael Sheen's portrayal of Mr Forst only really crackles when he gets into the interview room; Frank Langella's portrayal of Mr Nixon is witty and addictive throughout.

But Mr Langella's success is a function of the contrivances and historical what-ifs of Peter Morgan's script.

Mr Nixon's reasons for taking the interview are less compelling than what really happened. His chief of staff, played by Kevin Bacon (either consciously or unconsciously recreating his devious frat boy from the 1978 comedy "Animal House"), convinces him that he can "move back east" and re-enter the political fray if he drubs David Frost. Later, Mr Nixon thrills at the "no-holds barred" combat that Mr Frost might bring him. Meanwhile, Mr Nixon's agent scores a $600,000 cheque from Mr Frost's backers: money as the motivation. Mr Nixon plays along with all of it until (spoiler alert!) he starts to feel guilty, drunkenly seeks a rapport with Mr Frost in a late-night phone call (an invention of the script), and throws the final interview. Mr Frost is victorious, Mr Nixon is beaten. The film ends with the ex-president frowning, slumping on his porch, in his California hideaway. His legacy, we're told, was that every political scandal now gets the suffix "-gate".

But the real Mr Nixon didn't do all that poorly. We know that he "confessed" to Mr Frost in order to make the interview more salacious and marketable, and thereby more profitable. Doing so started him on the road to a minor comeback. He advised Ronald Reagan in his presidential transition. He wrote a best-selling memoir and eight more brisk-selling books of history and policy. He was contrite, yes, but not accountable, and it was enough to rehabilitate his reputation. Mr Nixon understood the press better than Ron Howard does.

Mr Howard's film is diverting enough. But in 30 years, when a playwright and director team up to make "Couric/Palin", they might want to go at the subject with more grit.

(Photo credit: Universal Pictures)

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