Blu-Ray Review: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen in Ron Howard’s ‘Frost/Nixon’

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HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0
Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – I want to love “Frost/Nixon”. I’m generally forgiving of historical dramas, especially ones that paint Richard Nixon in a bad light. And I think the world of Michael Sheen, Frank Langella, Sam Rockwell, Rebecca Hall, and Oliver Platt. But “Frost/Nixon” is a good movie that was too commonly praised as a great one because of its subject matter and pedigree. Worth a rental? For sure. Worth a purchase or its Best Picture nomination? I don’t think so.

It’s easy to see why people fell in love with “Frost/Nixon”. Ron Howard expertly directs his entire ensemble, particularly his two leads. His work with actors has always been his strength. And professional critics have always had a soft spot for movies that paint journalists as heroes. And that’s what “Frost/Nixon” does. Most critics would love to have their David Frost experience, making a heavyweight like Tricky Dick start to sweat.

Frost/Nixon was released on Blu-Ray on April 21st, 2009.
Frost/Nixon was released on Blu-Ray on April 21st, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

“Frost/Nixon” is about a legendary series of interviews between David Frost (Michael Sheen) and Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). Both men and the teams of intellectuals behind them saw the event as their moment for redemption. Frost would finally be seen as a serious journalist and Nixon would get the understanding and redemption that he felt he needed for Vietnam and Watergate.

Frost/Nixon was released on Blu-Ray on April 21st, 2009.
Frost/Nixon was released on Blu-Ray on April 21st, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

For this viewer, “Frost/Nixon” falls victim to the weaknesses of Ron Howard’s directorial abilities. I’ve always felt a cool, whitewashing effect from Howard. There’s a distinct lack of passion in “Frost/Nixon” that places it firmly in the “good-not-great” category of most of his films. I don’t hate Howard’s filmography, but he’s never made anything that I loved either. “Frost/Nixon” is good enough and there’s a lot to like here, but it feels like another director could have hit a home run instead of this ground rule double.

Peter Morgan’s screenplay, based on his own award-winning play, displays this excellent writer’s flair for adult, intellectual dialogue. When you combine it with Langella’s award-worthy performance, “Frost/Nixon” is absolutely worth a look. But that doesn’t mean it’s not a missed opportunity at something greater. I can’t imagine people watching “Frost/Nixon” repeatedly, the true test of a great Blu-Ray release.

As for the Blu-Ray release of “Frost/Nixon” by Universal Home Video, it has a similar good-not-great vibe. The video and audio stand out more than the special features as Universal continues to excel in those departments. Howard’s film is presented in 1080P HD widescreen with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio and accompanied by an English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track.

Frost/Nixon was released on Blu-Ray on April 21st, 2009.
Frost/Nixon was released on Blu-Ray on April 21st, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

Special features include Universal’s spectacular U-Control, a feature which allows picture-in-picture access to behind-the-scenes details and information. This time, viewers can watch “The Nixon Chronicles,” which includes actual footage from the real Frost/Nixon interviews.

Rather annoyingly, the back of the Blu-Ray case tells viewers to go to another DVD, “Frost/Nixon: The Original Watergate Interviews,” to see the whole thing. Because when I spend over $30 on a Blu-Ray, I want to be told to buy another DVD. A brief search reveals that the advertised DVD is owned by Liberation Entertainment. Whatever it cost, Universal should have paid them and made the original interviews available in their entirety on the Blu-Ray release of “Frost/Nixon”. That kind of material separates great Blu-Ray features from average ones.

Other special features include “Discovering Secrets,” “The Making of Frost/Nixon,” “The Real Interview,” “The Nixon Library,” deleted scenes, and a feature commentary by director Ron Howard.

‘Frost/Nixon’ is released by Universal Home Video and stars Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Rebecca Hall, Toby Jones, Matthew MacFadyen, Oliver Platt, and Sam Rockwell. It was written by Peter Morgan and directed by Ron Howard. It was released on April 21st, 2009. It is rated R.

HollywoodChicago.com content director Brian Tallerico

By BRIAN TALLERICO
Content Director
HollywoodChicago.com
brian@hollywoodchicago.com

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