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The most unheralded, unknown, underrated performance of the year has to be
the one by Kevin Bacon in "Frost/Nixon". I wasn't aware that he was in the
movie until he appeared on screen. He steals every scene he is in and truly
makes you feel his loyalty, devotion and belief in Richard Nixon.
I was very impressed with both Michael Sheen's and Frank Langella's
[performances and though Langella has the showier role Sheen matches him note
for note. (Disclosure: I waited on David Frost and Diahann Carroll at Dan
Stampler's Steak Joint on Greenwich Avenue in the Village a few times when they
were a couple.) There is very little resemblance between Frost and Sheen but the
latter does get the persona across.
Along with the surprise of seeing Bacon I was, also, surprised by seeing
Patty McCormick who plays Pat Nixon. Most people remember Patty as Rhoda in "The
Bad Seed" as the child who killed without conscious.
Toby Jones, who played Truman Capote better than Philip Seymour Hoffman in
the other Capote film, is a little 'off' here playing Swifty Lazar. The accent
of the very NY Swifty isn't quite captured by Jones and, at times, sounds like a
caricature. Rebecca Hall, seemingly brought in as the love interest, does a nice
job, as most of the actors do but doesn't add much interest to the film.
Though Ron Howard is being praised for his work in/on this film I found some
of the camera work very distracting. Though none last very long there are too
many blurry shots. In trying to 'open' up what is basically a stage play Howard
doesn't really bring much to the story and just makes it longer.
Nixon wasn't a good, nice person and this film reminds you of that along with
how despicable he really was. I think it would be very interesting if one of the
cable shows would show the interviews as most people really don't remember them
or that Nixon resigned the presidency.
I remember that night very well. Johnny and I watched it on television while
dining on top of the UP building in the revolving restaurant in Memphis.
This is not a 'must see' film and does get a little boring along the way if
you are familiar with the time period, the interviews and the final results. It
is worth seeing for the performances by Sheen, Langella AND Kevin Bacon!
