Movie Review: Reagan

CAPTION: CREDIT HBO DOCUMENTARY FILMS

By Dan Deming

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Despite what you may have heard or read elsewhere “Reagan” is a very good movie drawing nearly excellent audience reviews while critics and those politically opposed to the gippers’ life and Presidential performance denounce it with vitriol and cut it to pieces.  As the 40th United States President Ron Reagan has a unique background most worthy of knowing and perhaps becoming more appreciated as time goes by.

Dennis Quaid did an admirable job taking on a difficult role and is strongly supported by Jon Voght who lays the foundation for looking back on how Reagan helped bring down the Soviet Union by being cast as a Soviet intelligence officer composit who narrates the film through flashbacks and moving the story forward.  With Nancy Reagan a critical part of Reagan’s life Penelope Anne Miller is suitably cast as Nancy.

To its credit, the movie doesn’t just concentrate on Regans’ Presidency but goes into his Christian upbringing, Hollywood acting, mother’s childhood influence and disastrous first marriage.  You’ll find a variety of things you didn’t know about Ronald Reagan and others you may have once known but forgotten until craft- fully brought out.  High compliments also go to the music selected, especially when Bob Dylan sings the old cowboy favorite “Don’t Fence Me In” over an emotional series of real-life and death photographs as credits roll.

It wasn’t easy for this movie, based on a 2006 book called “The Crusader:  Ronald Reagan And The Fall Of Communism” to make it onto the screen.  Filming began in 2020 near Guthrie, Oklahoma but was shut down when Covid 19 hit.  Getting financing was a problem restricting the budget to 25 million and Facebook originally refused to accept advertising on grounds it would promote Republican favertism for the 2024 Presidential election.  

Since so many of today’s young people have no memory of Presidential history dating back to the 1980s, our closeness to nuclear war with the Russians and Reagan’s involvement in these critical times Ragan is a film that should be a part of their educational experience.  And whether you were for him or against him while experiencing those times the film if full of interesting tidbits. Example:   while campaigning door to door a woman asked who he was and after being told R.R. was at her doorstep she was thrilled Roy Rogers had come to her house.

While it does get off to a slow start if you want to see a really good movie, ignore all the critical panning and be among the 4.7 out of a possible 5 audience review scores being given.  Regan is now showing at Hutchinsons’ B and B. Theaters and it’s worth your time and money.