MCN Blogs
David Poland

By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com

The Assassination of Richard Nixon

We had a great screening last night, the last of the MCN Screening Series this year, of The Assasination of Richard Nixon.  Director Nils Mueller came by for a Q&A after the movie and explained a lot.

He talked about how Sean Penn committed to this film in 1999 and stuck with it until the money finally came together.

He explained how this was first called The Assassination of LBJ.

He explained that his father was, in days goen by, an immigrant  with an office furniture sales showroom.

He told us how a film about a failed assassination ended up being financed by Mexican filmmakers (The Cuarons and their producer, Jorge Vergara), as well as Leo DiCaprio, Alexander Payne and eleven others.

He explained how he held out for years before the film finally came together with him as the director.

But he could never explain how smart his work behind the camera and behind the keyboard (with co-writer Kevin Kennedy) is.

Sean Penn should be Oscar nominated for this film.  In fact, I would argue that this is a better performance than the one he won for last year.  And while in support, I would argue that this is better work from Don Cheadle than Hotel Rwanda is… not because Cheadle isn’t great in both, but because this character, who has so little screen time, is not a hero, but is somehow richer.

I am proud to have closed our screening series with this fine, complex film.

Be Sociable, Share!

27 Responses to “The Assassination of Richard Nixon”

  1. Mark says:

    Penn might be the best actor working today. I mean the guy did Spicoli. Its like Keanu Reeves winning an Oscar in ten years. Who would think that?

  2. TheBrotherhoodOfTheLostSkeletonOfCadavra says:

    Ironically, this past April I was in New York and saw the revival of Stephen Sondheim’s ASSASSINS, in which Bicke is one of the characters, played–improbably but frighteningly well–by comic Mario Cantone. What are the odds that this less-than-a-footnote-in-history should be a character in two major shows this year?

  3. Neal says:

    There are MANY Sean Penn perfs that are better than the one he got the Oscar for, most notably the one that came out the same year–in 21 Grams! It’s sad that someone is recognized for the wrong film because it happens to do better at the box office, or has more Academy prestige. Ironically, it’s not like 21 Grams wasn’t acknowledged, as Naomi Watts was nominated for it, but they probably felt better attatching him to Clint’s film because his daughter dies in it. What’s lame is that someone at Focus Features probably rolled over to avoid any vote splitting. I can’t see Penn caring enough to go along with anything like that, but he’s gotta know his work in Grams was superior.

  4. joe says:

    -21 GRAMS is a better movie than Mystic River.
    -The actings on 21 are better than the ones in River.
    -21 has a better director than river.(Im Mexican)
    -Sean Penn didn´t deserved the oscar last year..
    ..for either 21 or River. (Ben Kingsley did).
    -Nobody will care for such a small movie as The Assesination…
    …neither for The Woodsman.
    -Javier Bardem deserves the oscar.
    – Foxx and Leonardo deserve a nomination.
    – so does Liam.
    -They love Paul Giamatti.
    – And wouldnt it be great if Clint gets nominated!
    Yeah! lets nominate him.´
    – Theres no room left for Sean, Sorry.

  5. Mark says:

    The problem with Bardem is no one, i stress no one, will see that movie.

  6. Sandy says:

    I don’t think this is Penn’s better work at all – I have to agree that 21 Grams was better than Mystic.
    Assassination won’t get in any awards race. The subject matter is too stark for a general audience. It’s too bad The Sea Inside can’t find an audience out of the arthouse…not only is it in Spanish and subtitled, it deals with a tragic issue in an uplifting way. The acting all around was terrific.

  7. Neal says:

    Well, somewhat relating to this; I FINALLY saw The Motorcycle Diaries, and while I understand that people may be mixed on the quality of the film as a whole (personally I loved it), there’s no denying Rodrigo de la Serna should be up for an Supporting Actor Oscar. The film may have been interminable without his levity, but in the end he also brought some emotional weight as well. We all know there’s a bias against foreign actors (and when they do get around to recognizing one, it’s Roberto FREAKING Benigni), perhaps even more so in the Supporting Categories where crap like Marisa in My Cousin Vinny or Whoopi in Ghost gets awarded.
    I know there’s gonna be a lot of whining when Peter Sarsgaard doesn’t get nommed for Kinsey, but I think overlooking de la Serna is a bigger crime this year, even if Thomas Hayden Church or Clive Owen ultimately deserve the award.

  8. Neal says:

    Well, somewhat relating to this; I FINALLY saw The Motorcycle Diaries, and while I understand that people may be mixed on the quality of the film as a whole (personally I loved it), there’s no denying Rodrigo de la Serna should be up for an Supporting Actor Oscar. The film may have been interminable without his levity, but in the end he also brought some emotional weight as well. We all know there’s a bias against foreign actors (and when they do get around to recognizing one, it’s Roberto FREAKING Benigni), perhaps even more so in the Supporting Categories where crap like Marisa in My Cousin Vinny or Whoopi in Ghost gets awarded.
    I know there’s gonna be a lot of whining when Peter Sarsgaard doesn’t get nommed for Kinsey, but I think overlooking de la Serna is a bigger crime this year, even if Thomas Hayden Church or Clive Owen ultimately deserve the award.

  9. bicycle bob says:

    haden church deserves it for sideways. the guy was lowell on wings. wings!

  10. TheBrotherhoodOfTheLostSkeletonOfCadavra says:

    And Tom Hanks wore a dress on “Bosom Buddies.” So what’s your point?

  11. bicycle bob says:

    point is who would have thought some guy that was a bit player on a two bit sitcom would be an oscar favorite. did u steel boy?

  12. none says:

    I’m so sick of Mr. Penn’s look of anguish.

  13. PeppersDad says:

    Actually, Thomas Haden-Church got quite a bit of attention and praise for his supporting role on Wings. Then the critics absolutely raved about his work on Ned & Stacey. So a lot of people who were “in the know” clearly were taking notice.
    Regarding Sean Penn, it’s interesting to see how, when discussing his Oscar chances, most of the posters here are comparing his work in The Assassination of Richard Nixon to his earlier performances rather than to the performances of his current Oscar competition. I recently watched Mystic River again on HBO, and it remains a movie that I continue to find somewhat overrated. But I also took note of how undeniably magnetic Penn is, how you can’t take your eyes off him when he’s on screen. Yeah, I agree that he was even better and should have gotten the Oscar for the superior 21 Grams – but who cares anymore? And I, too, wish he occasionally would take on some less weighty roles at this point in his career. But I prefer his focus on extremely serious work to the sad paycheck schlock that DeNiro seems incapable of turning down these days. If you’re sick of Penn’s “anguished look,” then go rent Fast Times at Ridgemont High or the underrated We’re No Angels. This guy’s got all of the chops and can do it all. And I never tire of the privilege to see him at work.

  14. Mark says:

    His look of anguish? His character had just lost his oldest daughter. His character had to have heart surgery. His character was on death row. What do you want him to do? Throw a party?

  15. Jake says:

    I don’t think any critic praised his performance on Wings. And Ned and Stacy was on the air for six episodes about ten years ago. Its pretty fair to say he came out of nowhere.

  16. PeppersDad says:

    Jake –
    Ned and Stacy ran for the full 1995 and 1996 seasons for a total of 48 episodes. Please check before posting factually incorrect, uninformed BS.
    Happy holidays, everyone!

  17. Mark says:

    Nine people actually watched. Nine. It ran for two seasons. Watched by nine people. Guess Pepper was one of the lucky ones.

  18. PeppersDad says:

    Mark –
    Ned and Stacey ran for two years on Fox when it was a spanking-new upstart network struggling in its infancy stage without many affiliates. While the public may not have taken much notice, people within or who cover the industry certainly did. Those are the people in the know whom I refer to above. That group does not include malcontent ignoramuses like you.
    By the way, co-star Debra Messing’s work on the show promptly thereafter got her Will and Grace. I guess someone must have been watching.

  19. Blue Stealer says:

    If anyone watched that sitcom, it would have lasted more than 40 episodes. The only reason Fox didn’t cancel it sooner was it had nothing to replace it with. Thats the reason.

  20. PeppersDad says:

    The point is not the ratings or how long it lasted. The point is about how much notice it got within the industry. Do you think industry professionals didn’t keep up with shows like Sports Night or Twin Peaks, both of which lasted just two seasons? Just because a team ultimately loses doesn’t mean that knowledgeable people aren’t paying a lot of attention to its standout players.

  21. Mark says:

    What has Church done since 1998? Please enlighten us. And I’m in the industry. No one would have bet on him for an Oscar caliber performance. The more you go on talking about some lame brain sitcom that could not last more than two years, the more you sound like the rube you are.

  22. PeppersDad says:

    Again, Mark, you really must work on your reading skills before going on the attack. I never in any way said Church was a hot property after his television shows. I just said that industry people “in the know” (unlike you) took notice of him. People like Alexander Payne. What, you never heard of respected actors who had trouble finding work?
    As for you being in the industry, my hearty congratulations. I guess that means it’s OK for me to ask you to bring me a mochaccino latte before you clean up my office and return to the mailroom.

  23. Mark says:

    So it took six years for him to use him? Why not use him in Election? About Schmidt? Huh? You paint yourself into corners arguing over nothing. The guy came from nowhere. He was a supporting player on Wings and Wings wasn’t Cheers, pal o mine.

  24. PeppersDad says:

    That’s ridiculous (which is to be expected at this point). I’ve already addressed that and I have nothing further to add. Instead of blowing so much smoke, why don’t you READ!

  25. Mark says:

    Proved what? You have incoherent ramblings and you cannot admit when you’re wrong. Now you can clean up my office but remember to take out the trash.

  26. TheBrotherhoodOfTheLostSkeletonOfCadavra says:

    A simple check of the IMDB shows that Church made plenty of film and TV appearances between NED & STACEY and SIDEWAYS; he also wrote, directed and starred in a film, ROLLING KANSAS, which undoubtedly ate up a great deal of his time. And even if he hadn’t worked at all, lots of actors take time off for strictly personal reasons. You may not like WINGS, but it ran for eight seasons on NBC and won two Emmy Awards, so indeed, someone was paying attention.

  27. bicycle bob says:

    rollin kansas was a blockbuster. basically getting back to the points made is who would have thought a guy who was a bit player on a two bit sitcom could be favored to win an oscar 8 yrs after said sitcom went off the air. its like the nun from good morning miami winning an oscar in 5 yrs. good morning miami i tell u!

The Hot Blog

Quote Unquotesee all »

It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.

And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.

There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.

I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.

So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”

My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher

“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.

~ David Simon