Frost/Nixon (2008)
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A British talk show host seeks to salvage the reputation of a disgraced former U.S. President through a series of high-stakes interviews.
The story
Following the Watergate scandal, British talk show host David Frost is inspired to interview former United States President Richard Nixon. Nixon's agent believes the interviews could help salvage Nixon's reputation and provide financial profit. Frost secures a deal and begins preparing with a team of researchers. Despite facing scrutiny from Nixon's chief of staff and struggling to find American network interest, Frost finances the project privately. The team embarks on several recording sessions where Frost attempts to navigate Nixon's dominance on topics like the Vietnam War and foreign policy, all while trying to secure a significant confession regarding Watergate.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After the Watergate scandal, David Frost and Richard Nixon agree to a series of interviews. Frost travels to California with a team, including researchers Bob Zelnick and Jim Reston, to prepare. While Frost struggles with poor sponsorship and a cancelled talk show in London, he manages to secure private funding. During the first three sessions, Nixon dominates the conversation on the Vietnam War. Four days before the final interview, an inebriated Nixon calls Frost, declaring the final session will make or break their careers. In the final interview, Frost ambushes Nixon with transcripts of a conversation with Charles Colson. Nixon admits to unethical behavior and a cover-up, stating, 'When the President does it, that means it's not illegal.' The recording is briefly disrupted by Brennan. After the interviews air, Frost and his companion Caroline Cushing visit Nixon. Frost gives Nixon a pair of Italian shoes, and Nixon addresses Frost by his first name for the first time. A textual epilogue notes the interviews were wildly successful, though Nixon remained controversial until his death in 1994.
- First release year
- 2008
- Runtime (minutes)
- 122
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom; France
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Ron Howard
- Writers
- Peter Morgan · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Frank Langella · Richard Nixon; Michael Sheen · David Frost; Kevin Bacon; Rebecca Hall; Toby Jones; Matthew Macfadyen; Oliver Platt; Sam Rockwell
- Genres
- historical drama; political drama; docudrama
- Themes
- reputation; political scandal; legacy; power
- Tone and mood
- weighty; eloquent; tense; dramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- based on actual events; biographical; political drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2006 play by Peter Morgan
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim but underperformed at the box office, grossing $27.4 million on a $25 million budget. It was described as weighty, eloquent, and a cross between a boxing match and a ballet.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 80 · scale: 100 · review count: 38
- Awards and nominations
- Oscar · Best Picture · Nomination; Oscar · Best Actor · Nomination; Oscar · Best Director · Nomination
- Production trivia
- Frank Langella visited the Richard Nixon Presidential Library to prepare for his role.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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