Frosty Nixon

When Richard Nixon resigned the Presidency in August of 1974, I was 21 years old and residing in Tincup, Colorado at a boys camp. People my age hated Nixon. His resignation was convenient for me as I had vowed not to reenter the real world as long as he was still in office. This was not much of a threat as the economy was down then and job prospects for a newly-minted Harvard graduate were not overflowing.

Why did we hate him? He was a crook. When a president stands before TV cameras and says "I'm not a crook", that's pretty much a tip off that he is a crook. Anyway, the evidence would eventually emerge.

By 1977, when the Frost/Nixon interviews first aired, the country had moved on. Nixon's hand-picked successor, Gerald Ford, had given him a full and complete pardon, then paid the price in the '76 election as Jimmy Carter won the presidency. The 1970's were a return to bad economic times, as the prosperity of the post-war economy withered under the burden of the Vietnam War, expanded social programs, and the oil crisis. People had other things to think about than justice for Richard Nixon.

When the interviews started, everyone wanted to watch, not so much for closure, but because we wanted to see him squirm. It was entertainment, not totally unlike today's reality TV shows.

The performance by Frank Langella, portraying Richard Nixon, in the movie Frost/Nixon was one of the best I have ever seen. Much of it is done in close-up, and here Langella speaks Nixon's mind, without saying a word. Nixon was a strange character, awkward in social contexts, driven by ancient demons, and never confident in his success. His immense vulnerability is perhaps his only endearing quality.

Frost is played Michael Sheen, who is good enough, but does not physically resemble the Frost that I recall from those days. It was nice to see Rebecca Hall playing Frost's girlfriend-of-the-month, Caroline Cushing. Nixon was mildly obsessed with Frost's personal life and fornicating ways. Director Ron Howard left us to wonder exactly what went on between Frost and Cushing, a Nixonian perspective.

The movie itself is well paced and full of suspense, much like Rocky or A Few Good Men (another Kevin Bacon movie). In summary, I say "well done, Opie." Nixon's legacy got polished a bit with the truth.