From his early humble beginnings to Hollywood actor to leader of the free world, Ronald Reagan established a unique reputation for himself. His uncompromising stance on global and political issues made him someone to either admire or loathe. Now, his life story is the subject of Reagan, a movie that will no doubt have strong support from conservative audiences, but to casual moviegoers, it’ll have little to no impact.
Dennis Quaid plays Reagan. His look, tone, and voice capture the essence of the 40th U.S. President, which is pretty impressive. Many of his scenes are adequate enough to work.
We get the typical biopic trappings beginning with his childhood as a young boy yearning to make a difference in the world. He starts out by reading scripture to the congregation of his church. Then, the movie shows his progressing career in Hollywood and behind the scenes of his first tumultuous marriage to Jane Wyman (Mena Suvari).
Penelope Ann Miller co-stars as Nancy Davis. She’s pretty convincing as a woman who stands by her man through thick and thin. She knows when to be compassionate but she also knows when to let her husband know when he needs to take a stand on the issues he believes in. Their chemistry is charming.
Of course, this biopic can’t help but check off the boxes of Reagan’s ups and downs in both Hollywood and the White House. It shows his declining career being relegated to starring in cheesy commercials to the loss to Gerald Ford and his inevitable win in 1980.
The movie is littered with Reagan’s platitudes, such as “Freedom is one generation away from extinction” and “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Plus, there’s the iconic “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” The movie is about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the forehead about Reagan’s conservative policies, and no doubt the nostalgia will inspire its target audience.
My problem with the movie is its all-too-eager indulgence in repetitious sermonizing and fortune-cookie sentiments. At best, it’s well-intentioned, but at worst, it’s consistently mediocre.
I admit I had low expectations for Reagan, but the movie did work better than anticipated. It’s got an eclectic cast including Jon Voight as Viktor Petrovich, who occasionally narrates, and smaller roles from the likes of Nick Searcy, C. Thomas Howell, and Leslie-Anne Down as Margaret Thatcher. Plus, even Creed frontman Scott Stapp has a small cameo as Frank Sinatra. Go figure.
Reagan will undoubtedly work on those who endorse its dogmatic philosophy, but for others, it will be considered an interminable exercise of jingoism for 136 minutes.
Grade: C+
(Rated PG-13 for violent content and smoking.)
