Frost/Nixon

Frost/Nixon
Written by Peter Morgan
Directed by Ron Howard

I like to wash down my egg nog latte with a little political history. Who am I kidding? I am lactose intolerant and Starbucks discontinued this beverage this year in favor of some highly-caloric espresso truffle-tini or something. Adding "truffle" to any menu item is a likely ploy to convince the consumer that it is worth the additional $2-10. Starbucks, do not think I am fooled by your faux-luxury confection additive which clearly comes from some powdery concentrate. I do not believe the Belgians would be okay with you taking their fine product in vain!

Okay, enough with my Starbucks tirade (still off the caffeine, very hard). Frost/Nixon, unlike Starbucks' new line of [Red] drinks, is worth your money. It is an interesting time capsule about a presidency not about change, but about lies and televised sweat beads. The script, transported from stage to screen, has a lot of great dramatic moments, which one imagines played expertly in a Broadway house. The actors understand the neurosis of their real-life alter egos and collaborate well together. You have the impression that everyone understands what film they are in, but could easily launch into their own subsequent biopic. Some great side stories spun by Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, and the chick from Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Should we be concerned that Tricky Dick comes off slightly sympathetic? A graying lecherous paranoid bigoted codger who has been given absurd power and grossly abuses it. Nah, his comeuppance is served, if not by Frost and the liberal gotcha media, but by the demons he so clearly wrestled with, ravaging his conscious. And like "W," the real idiots in the picture are the electorate. You voted this guy into power. You bought those truffles. You have to take some responsibility for the unpleasant aftertaste.