Frost/Nixon Even Better on Film

Frost/Nixon is “less a political movie than a boxing film without the gloves,” writes Kirk Honeycutt in the Hollywood Reporter, and it’s knocking out critics. The film is based on a much-honored play, and “the surprising news is that Frost/Nixon works even better on screen,” says David Ansen in Newsweek, using close-ups to make the encounter even tenser.

The original stage actors reprise the lead roles, “and it’s impossible to imagine anyone else playing them.” Frank Langella’s Nixon particularly seems destined for awards buzz. Unfortunately, the movie’s audience is likely to consist of political junkies and history buffs, says Honeycutt. Good as it is, Frost/Nixon is ultimately “a talkathon embellished by camera movements,” Manohla Dargis writes in the New York Times.
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