18 1/2: A Review Of Dan Mirvish’s New Watergate Film

Introduction

The Watergate Hotel break-in that took place in June 1972 was one of the biggest screwups in American political history. Its story, and the people who took part in it, have been told numerous times on TV and in film. In his latest directorial effort, 18 1/2, Slamdance co-founder Dan Mirvish creates a masterful farce. He does this by presenting the viewer with a wild historical fiction that finally explains the now-famous eighteen-and-a-half-minute gap in the Nixon White House Tapes. Tapes that would lead to the only resignation of a US President in history.

Richard Nixon was one of the more paranoid presidents to ever hold office. As a result, he recorded every conversation he ever had in the Oval Office. Incredibly though, there is an 18 1/2 minute gap in his recordings. This started starting on June 20, 1972, three days after the illegal break-in of Democratic offices located in the Watergate Hotel, Washington D.C. Who ordered the break-in has never been determined. However, it’s widely believed that it was President Nixon. 

Plot

In 1972, Connie Lashley (Willa Fitzgerald) is a matter-of-fact transcriber for the White House. A motivated and hard-working employee, Connie rarely takes any time off. She also desperately wants to be promoted. Working at her desk one day, Connie discovers a tape in a box from the Old Executive Office Building. She quickly realizes that she has discovered the missing 18 1/2 minute recording from the Nixon Watergate tapes.

In a conference room, the voices of President Nixon (Bruce Campbell), Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman (Jon Cryer), and General Alexander Haig (Ted Raimi) can be heard playing the original 18 1/2 minute recording. What they don’t realize is that the room they are in also has a recording system that is in place and operating. Subsequently, what is created is a recording of a recording that Connie now has in a box marked to transcribe.

Connie drives to a diner where she meets with Paul Marrow (John Magaro), a reporter for the “Times.” The two discuss what to do with the recordings they have obtained. While they disagree with each other, eventually, they compromise and take the tape to a nearby motel. Hilarity ensues when, among other things, they realize they don’t even have a tape player readily available. As a result, they try and find one from one of the motel’s many crazy guests. This includes its one-eyed, talkative, and prying front desk clerk, Jack. (Richard Kind). 

18 1/2 almost veers into Faulty Towers territory as the pair, posing as a married couple, encounters the motel’s many eccentric and unusual guests. A trio of hippies (Sullivan Jones, Marija Juliette Abney, and Alanna Saunders) tries to recruit Connie and Paul for a dangerous “mission.” They also have a very bizarre dinner with Lena (Catherine Curtain) and Samuel (Vondie Curtis-Hall), an eccentric older couple.

Add to all of this is the fact that the CIA could be watching. It’s a literal race against time to play the tapes and reveal the truth about what really happened at the Watergate Hotel. Along the way, our two heroes are inundated with a plethora of crazy situations. The characters that they meet are wild, eccentric, and at times, completely unhinged. What should be an ordinary meetup at a motel, turns into a paranoid and wacky adventure. At every turn, Connie and Paul wonder if what they are hiding can really be hidden.

Analysis

Elle Schneider’s cinematography on 18 1/2 is fantastic. It’s also a true throwback to the suspenseful thrillers of the 1970s, such as The Conversation (1974) and Marathon Man (1976). Mirvish and Schneider are continually changing the perspective, which in turn creates an unsettling feeling that helps drive the narrative forward. Using long zoom lenses for tight shots is extremely effective and Schneider and Mirvish use it to great effect here. Additionally, the viewer often can’t actually see what is happening on screen. Rather, they hear the action. This adds to the paranoid feeling that 18 1/2 puts forth.

About halfway through 18 1/2 Mirvish shifts the tone of the film. It transforms from a taught political thriller to an almost sitcom-like crazy neighbor comedy. While it might be a bizarre change in structure, it works well within the film’s at times off-the-rails nature. All of the actors involved are cooking at a high level during the middle third of the movie. As a result, the viewer is left enjoying the ride, no matter how insane it may be. If Hunter S. Thomson had directed a Nixon-themed thriller/comedy, this may be what it would look like.

Monica Dabrowski’s 1970s-themed production design gives 18 1/2 an authentic look. This adds to the overall groovy feeling that one gets when watching the film. Further, Mirvish does a fine job of getting his actors to properly convey the anxiety and tension that needs to be emoted because of the scope and nature of the Nixon tapes. Also, the director wisely focuses on Connie and Paul’s developing relationship throughout the building chaos and paranoia. This keeps the film somewhat grounded in reality.

If there is one flaw that can be said about 18 1/2, it would be that it’s too over-the-top and crosses the streams of too many genres. Mirvish is swinging for the fences in his most ambitious project to date. That’s not a bad thing. However, at times, it feels a bit forced. The viewer may sometimes feel overwhelmed by the sheer absurdity happening on the screen. There are also a few side-plots thrown into the film that never really pay off. Still, the fantastic supporting performances more than make amends for these few flaws.

Cast

While the supporting cast of 18 1/2 is all fantastic, this movie belongs to its two leads. Willa Fitzgerald and John Magaro share chemistry with each other that is not easy to come by. Magaro, especially, is borderline Clark Kent-like with his disheveled and flustered demeanor. Fitting for a reporter from the 1970s. Vondie Curtis-Hall and Catherine Curtain are also sublime and frequently frightening as an older couple who share a bizarre dinner with our two leads. 

Although we do not actually ever see them on screen, credit must be given to Mirvish for getting Bruce Campbell, Ted Raimi, and Jon Cryer to provide the voice work of Nixon, Haig, and Haldeman. Just knowing that Raimi and Campbell are taking part in this film will in and of itself drive up its overall viewership. Additionally, bravo to Campbell and Mirvish for deciding not to do another droll Richard Nixon impersonation.

Richard Kind is his usual fantastic self, turning in an outrageous performance as the one-eyed Jack, the overseer of the Silver Sands Motel. The trio of Wonder Bread obsessed hippies, as portrayed by Sullivan Jones, Claire Saunders, and Alanna Saunders are somewhat stereotypical but adequate. Elle Schneider, Joshua A. Friedman, and Mirvish himself also have supporting roles in 18 1/2. Mirvish can be heard, briefly, as a radio announcer.

Conclusion

When you are dealing with historical fiction, a director has the ability to craft a wild tale. Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds (2009) and Once Upon a Time in…Hollywood (2019) are prime examples of this. Mirvish makes the most of this artistic freedom, creating an outlandish “what if” tale that still manages to stay, somewhat, grounded in reality. While one might compare his latest effort to the early 70s films of John Schlesinger and Alan Pakula, you can also see a kinship to the zany comedies that made Blake Edwards such a legend.

Much like the insanity that was the Watergate break-in in 1972, leading to the eventual resignation of President Nixon, 18 1/2 is chock full of conspiracy theories, speculation, and a cast of bizarre characters that fit right in with the film’s subject matter.  A fantastic lead and supporting cast, along with solid cinematography and direction more than makeup for the few flaws that the film has. It’s certainly worth 88 minutes of your time.

More from Cinema Scholars:

THE OFFER: A Review Of The New Godfather Documentary

Writer/Director Michael McGowan Discusses ALL MY PUNY SORROWS

Keep up with Cinema Scholars on social media. Like us on Facebook, subscribe on YouTube, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.