This is the sort of movie you'd best Wikipedia beforehand to get the background story. Without much knowledge or perspective on Nixon (save his disastrous debates versus JFK), I needed to figure out who he was and why this interview was so important. Turns out, Nixon as played by Frank Langella is adorable, statesman-like, and oh so presidential. Like Lilly said, "We gotta stop watching sympathetic movies about Republican presidents!"
Overall, the movie was pretty good, with a smart script, a decent pace, and a sense that this is really really important. However, without my background research I'm pretty sure I would have been left wondering what the big deal was. The "chess match" that Frost and Nixon engage in isn't portrayed well and Nixon's motivation for admitting his role in Watergate didn't really come organically from within the movie. I wanted to see/understand why Nixon decided to apologize to America but the film doesn't provide that answer. Certainly the film version of Frost wasn't capable of pushing him over the edge.
Two actors/actresses kept bugging me because I couldn't remember where they were from. Matthew Macfadyen plays Frost's producer and was Mr. Darcy in the Keira Knightley version. And Rebecca Hall was Vicky in Vicky Cristina Barcelona. There, now you won't be annoyed trying to figure out who they are the whole time.
