I do like this movie a lot but I will argue that there is about 30 minutes right in the middle of it that implies that Nixon was part of the CIA/Communist/Mafia/whoever conspiracy to have Kennedy assassinated. I'm not arguing that theory's veracity, especially not in the context of bombastic and conspiracy-spouting Oliver Stone film, but I will say that if you have seen JFK before it feels very much like a redundant retread. It felt like him seeing an opportunity to slip in his favorite pet conspiracy to another movie and being unable to resist the lure of delving in again. I can't be certain but I would say that the soundtrack even sounds like the one composed for the JFK film during that sequence in the film. So. That's odd.
Otherwise this film is an interesting character study of Nixon. It is bombastic, like I mentioned, because that seems to be par for the course for Stone. It's enjoyable though and despite it being a serious time commitment it really moves enough to feel shorter. Like JFK, there are a ton of 90's "Hey it's that guy!" performances. Some from people who would become stars in their own right later on or move on to TV or maintain character actor status throughout their careers. It's fun watching just for the sport of hey-it's-that-guy spotting. But it's also very well acted. Every time I watch this one the casting of Anthony Hopkins takes me about a half an hour to get into because he looks so unlike Nixon. But his Welsh accent is completely replaced by the trademark growl of all Nixon impersonators and his physical mannerisms are flawless. It's almost like it doesn't matter how similar he looks because he's such an exceptionally good actor or something. Huh. Imagine that.
As for the story, well, I'll just say that lately watching movies about Nixon's rise and fall has brought me a peace of mind and some much-needed catharsis.
Marrying your mom much, Dick?
Richard Gilmore!!
So many that-guy's!
That point where Oliver Stone goes a little wonky with his storytelling. Calm down, buddy.
That point where he can't help but moralize and try to stage a hypothetical conversation with Nixon that you know he's dying to have but can't.
Frasier's brother!
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