Frost/Nixon (2008)
Imagine Entertainment

Description

For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans. Likewise, Frost's team harbored doubts about their boss' ability to hold his own. But as cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted. Would Nixon evade questions of his role in one of the nation's greatest disgraces? Or would Frost confound critics and bravely demand accountability from the man who'd built a career out of stonewalling? Over the course of their encounter, each man would reveal his own insecurities, ego and reserves of dignity - ultimately setting aside posturing in a stunning display of unvarnished truth.

Tags

Watergate

Collected reviews and ratings

10 TV Guide | Perry Seibert

The craftsmanship, acting, and history lesson all make it among the most satisfying films of Ron Howard's career.
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10 The Onion A.V. Club | Nathan Rabin

Frost/Nixon finds an intriguing new angle on one of history's most documented and fascinating figures.
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9.2 Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

Frost/Nixon, directed with practiced fluidity by Ron Howard, surges with an energy and visual verve that enhance the themes of dramatist Peter Morgan's script.
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9.0 Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

The result is involving, engrossing cinema - more thrilling, in fact, than Howard's "The Da Vinci Code" - filmmaking of a type rarely seen anymore and sorely missed.
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8.8 Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

Frost/Nixon, one of the year's best films, far exceeds its roots as docudrama. It cuts to the core of a toxic culture that sees politics as show business, a culture still all too recognizable as our own.
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8.0 Newsweek | David Ansen

Director Ron Howard and Morgan, adapting his own play, have both opened up the tale and, with the power of close-ups, made this duel of wits even more intimate and suspenseful.
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8.0 Salon.com | Stephanie Zacharek

Somehow, Howard has pulled off the feat of adapting a play for the big screen without making it seem like a sorry, clumsy creature that's lost its way.
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8.0 Empire | Ian Nathan

Stirring stuff that works thrillingly as drama, and should make Sheen a star, even if it compromises on historical insight.
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7.0 Variety | Todd McCarthy

Although it all pays off in a potent and revelatory final act rife with insights into the psychology and calculations of power players, the initial stretch is rather dry and prosaic.
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7.0 New York Times | Manohla Dargis

Stories of lost crowns lend themselves to drama, but not necessarily audience-pleasing entertainments, which may explain why Frost/Nixon registers as such a soothing, agreeably amusing experience, more palliative than purgative.
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