--- title: "Frost/Nixon: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/frost-nixon/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/frost-nixon" critics_score: 74 critics_reviews: 14 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Frost/Nixon (2008): what the critics said Critics' score 74 from 14 reviews: 11 positive, 2 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics find Frost/Nixon an absorbing drama, with praise centred on Frank Langella and Michael Sheen. Langella draws particular admiration for making Nixon charming, calculating and vulnerable, while Sheen gives Frost enough ambition and uncertainty to sustain the contest. The reviews repeatedly describe Ron Howard’s approach as a boxing match or underdog story, crediting that structure with turning extended interviews into tense entertainment. Several also welcome the emphasis on the men’s competing needs rather than a straightforward division into hero and villain. Reservations concern historical depth, invented drama and the move from stage to screen. Some critics find the adaptation energetic; others think it remains a talk-heavy play despite Howard’s efforts. The New York Times finds the portrait insufficiently dangerous, even while admiring the leads. The spread is wide: Slant Magazine rejects the film’s self-importance and argues that its showbusiness focus sidelines Nixon’s crimes, a much harsher judgement than most critics offer. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 10 December 2008. The film succeeds as a spellbinding thriller centered on the tense interviews, with strong performances by Frank Langella and Michael Sheen that embody the characters' deep needs and vulnerabilities. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/frostnixon-2008) ## The AV Club — Nathan Rabin Rating A-. 4 December 2008. The critic praises the film for finding a fresh angle on Nixon through the lens of two men seeking redemption, with the story structured like a sports underdog tale. He singles out Langella's masterful performance highlighting Nixon's charm, guile, and self-sabotage. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/frost-nixon-1798205349) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2008. Howard takes a strong play and makes it even better, delivering involving, engrossing cinema thanks to professional skills and standout performances, especially Langella's Nixon. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2008-dec-05-et-frost5-story.html) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Rating 4/5. 20 January 2009. The film successfully preserves the strong stage performances of Michael Sheen and Frank Langella while turning the material into an energetic sports-movie-style underdog story. It is not Sheen's best work but remains likeable thanks to his charm and Langella's vulnerable Nixon. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/frost/nixon) ## Empire — Ian Nathan Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 May 2007. Festival review. The critic praises Michael Sheen's pitch-perfect, layered portrayal of Frost and Ron Howard's dynamic, sports-movie-like adaptation that turns the interviews into gripping drama. They note it celebrates journalism effectively but find Frank Langella's Nixon lacking sufficient menace and the film light on historical depth. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/frostnixon-review/) ## Evening Standard Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 2012. The critic enjoys the film as a sharp battle of wits and character study devoid of heroes, highlighting Frank Langella's sublime, nuanced Nixon and Michael Sheen's magnetic, multifaceted Frost. They note the faithful adaptation may underwhelm fans of the play but succeeds as engaging drama about television and manipulation. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/great-battle-of-wits-in-frost-nixon-7438930.html) ## The New Yorker — David Denby Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 1 December 2008. The film brings Nixon's intelligence to the forefront in an absorbing duel of interviews, offering insight without fully solving the mystery, though it carries an unwarranted aura of momentousness. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/12/08/history-in-the-making) ## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 5 December 2008. The adaptation of the play is a soothing, agreeably amusing experience anchored by excellent leads, though it lacks the dangerous edge that could make the portrait of Nixon more unsettling. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/movies/05fros.html) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 2008. Festival review. Frank Langella delivers a magnetic, non-impersonating performance as Nixon that will attract awards attention, though the film has problems finding its audience and never makes the on-screen contest feel truly equal. Howard opens out the stage play adequately but it remains a not-very-cinematic piece focused on the power of the TV image. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/frost/nixon/4041410.article) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 60/100 (inferred from the text). 15 October 2008. Festival review. The critic finds the central performances by Frank Langella and Michael Sheen fascinating and the climactic close-up powerful on the big screen. They complain that the material stays stubbornly uncinematic, with too much Hollywood artillery applied to an essentially two-hander talky drama that sits uneasily between stage play and film. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/frost-nixon-gala-opening-london-film-festival-962515.html) ## Slant Magazine Fi1m's normalised score 20/100 (inferred from the text). 1 December 2008. The critic dismisses the film as a trivial, self-important showbiz story that inflates the interviews into phony therapy and sanctimony while sidelining Nixon's real crimes. He complains that it offers little new insight beyond the famous quote and prefers a more irreverent approach like the film Dick. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/frost-nixon/) ## The Guardian 25 January 2009. The film is a riveting, sharper and more intense version of the stage play about the Frost-Nixon interviews. It focuses on the high-stakes confrontations between the two ambitious men and the strong supporting performances around them. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jan/25/frost-nixon-review) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Kirk Honeycutt 15 October 2008. Festival review. The critic views the film more as a boxing match than a political drama, with strong early rounds for Nixon and a knockout for Frost. He praises the lead performances by Langella and Sheen while noting Howard's professional but personality-free direction and some overly slick fictional elements. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/frost-nixon-review-2008-movie-125057/) ## Eye for Film — Chris Rating ★★★★★. 6 January 2009. The critic is won over by the film’s emotional power, especially in the interview scenes, and singles out Frank Langella’s towering, sympathetic performance as Nixon for making every other element feel authentic. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/frostnixon-film-review-by-chris) ## Digital Spy — Ben Rawson-Jones Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 January 2009. The film is a compelling underdog story of David Frost's interviews with Richard Nixon, with strong direction from Ron Howard that builds tension effectively. It belongs to the standout performances of Michael Sheen and Frank Langella, who bring the verbal sparring to life. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a143567/frostnixon/) ## The Skinny — Andrew McWhirter Rating 4/5. 12 January 2009. Ron Howard's drama humanizes Nixon through Langella's performance as a thoughtful and fragile figure rather than a monolithic villain, while Sheen nails Frost's mannerisms. The boxing-match structure and focus on the characters' humanity are the film's true achievements. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/frost-nixon) ## Collider — Jackson Jackson 11 May 2009. The film is a gripping dramatization of the lead-up to and circumstances of the famous interviews, with strong writing and a phenomenal cast led by Frank Langella as Nixon. It is taut and enthralling despite some disruptive talking-heads interludes. [Read the review](https://collider.com/frostnixon-dvd-review/) ## Paste — Tim Basham 5 December 2008. The film succeeds as drama thanks to a talented supporting cast and especially Langella's brilliant, complex performance as Nixon, even as it relies on historical exaggerations and invented moments for suspense. Howard positions Frost as an underdog who rises to the challenge. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/ron-howard/frostnixon) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/frost-nixon.md