j* movie reviews 2020

Frost/Nixon (2008)

A man-talking movie about the organising of some man-talking.

It just doesn't get more meta for a man-talking movie than this. A bunch of guys gets together and spends ages planning an interview of ex-President Nixon. And then they do the interview. Holy-moly there was an awful lot of men just talking and talking and talking. And talking about talking. Occasionally talking to other men just to spice things up like a flat-white.

Now before watching this my knowledge of Watergate was pretty much limited to: some kind of scandal that means anytime there's a scandal you can add "-gate" to the end of the thing. For example, sausage-gate, parma-gate, movie-gate... you get the idea. Not Star-gate though, that is a different thing and not scandalous. The suffix "-gate" is really the most I knew. You'd think after spending two hours listening to men banging on about the scandal, for it is Watergate that's meant to be at the heart of this interview, I'd know something more. But if anything I know less now. Maybe the man-droning was just too gentle for my brain. Maybe Watergate isn't actually that interesting. The only thing I learnt is that there were tapes... but maybe I always did know that?

Let us address the most important issue here: Kevin Bacon is in it. This means we need a judgement call... is Kevin Bacon EVIL in this film or not?

Well, spoiler alert my friends. He is not evil and he is very much not much of anything interesting. Seeing Kevin Bacon reduced to just another talky-man is quite disappointing when you consider how well he can hold a scene in creepy silence or comedy gold or intense fuming anger. Here he is a sidekick who sometimes appears mildly alarmed about the potential for the talking to go wrong. Sam Rockwell is also in this film but it is probably the least interesting role I've ever seen him in. To put Sam & Kevin together and have it so bland feels somehow criminal. Sam-gate and Kevin-gate perhaps.

There is one woman in this film, but she's there purely for fluff and to look quite hot in backless dresses. I do think some actual playboy bunnies also appear at some point. Sure, it's a period piece, no girls allowed in history. Fair enough, but probably didn't help my engagement levels.

In scoring this film I have to admit I did actually fall asleep during it. I didn't have the highest hopes for something so clearly inside my boredom zone, but I laughed when I realised I'd just woken up on the couch because it meant I didn't even have to think about how many stars. A sleeper is easy diagnosed.

J* gives it 1 star.