CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio review for the doc series “Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose,” about the rise and bitter fall of the major league legend, the MLB’s all-time hits leader, only to be banned from the sport because of gambling. Streaming on MAX and on HBO since July 24th.!—break—>
Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Ensemble Save ‘Frost/Nixon’ From Soulless Direction
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CHICAGO – Peter Morgan’s play “Frost/Nixon” was a searing portrait of two men trying their best to change their image and their future. It was a head-to-head battle between a celebrity interviewer whose reputation was on a steady decline and the man credited with bringing shame to the White House.
Either Richard Nixon would “win” and come out looking like he had successfully defended his controversial actions in his last few years in office or David Frost would give the impeached President the trial that a lot of people feel he deserved.
![]() Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
Clearly, there’s enough drama inherent in the source material of “Frost/Nixon” to make a riveting drama, and the cast that director Ron Howard and Morgan, adapting his own play, have assembled are more than talented enough to pull it off. But something gets lost on the way from the theater to the multiplex. There’s a passion in the war of words between these two driven men that feels diluted by not only the big screen but also Howard’s weaknesses as a director.
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Michael Sheen plays David Frost, a man in the midst of a career crisis. He’s a reasonably successful celebrity interviewer, but he’s not taken as seriously as he’d like to be. When he sees Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) resigning on national television and realizes what a ratings draw he is worldwide, he reaches out to try and land an interview. After some negotiations, including a few rules on what can be asked and when, he lands the interview of the decade.
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![David Frost (Michael Sheen) greets Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) and Colonel Jack Brennan (Kevin Bacon) in David Frost (Michael Sheen) greets Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) and Colonel Jack Brennan (Kevin Bacon) in](http://www.hollywoodchicago.com/sites/default/files/FrostNixon01.jpg)
David Frost (Michael Sheen) greets Richard Nixon (Frank Langella) and Colonel Jack Brennan (Kevin Bacon) in “Frost/Nixon”, from director Ron Howard.
Photo credit: Ralph Nelson. Copyright: © 2008 Universal Studios.
Thanks so much for your
Thanks so much for your review! Too Shy to Stop writer Adam recently saw Frost/Nixon and wrote a piece about it. You can read his commentary here.