Opinion
Movie Review: “Reagan” an interesting biopic about Cold War era
One of my grandchildren rarely invites me to a movie, but last week, my 16-year-old grandson invited us to the “Reagan.” This grandson has always been interested in politics, but for him to offer to pay for his grandparents to accompany him to a movie was an outing we couldn’t turn down.
I hadn’t heard much hoopla about this movie, but I have always been a fan of President Reagan, so it took little persuasion for us to go. I was skeptical about what we were about to see because of the country’s political divisiveness. I was hoping for an accurate portrayal of one of my favorite presidents without political innuendo or slant.
I was not disappointed. The story is accurate as far as my recollection of Reagan’s presidency is concerned. I remember sitting in my kitchen watching his speech at the Berlin Wall when he said in a powerful voice, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” I also recall his campaign against Walter Mondale. During the debate, Reagan said, “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent’s youth and inexperience,” The audience and even Mondale, laughed. I think that line won the presidency for Reagan.
Jon Voight, who plays a Russian spy, narrated the movie. Voit’s character was a young member of the KGB who was assigned to become an expert on Reagan’s personality. The Russian government was wary of Reagan’s power and influence around the world. Voight’s Russian accent was believable as he explained his experiences with Reagan to a young Russian journalist. This approach to telling Reagan’s story was interesting and easy to follow.
Dennis Quaid played Reagan very well. It was evident he had spent a great deal of time watching old movies, speeches, and clips of Reagan. His facial expressions, mannerisms, and vocal interpretations were believable. I liked Penelope Ann Miller’s portrayal of Nancy Reagan. The relationship between Nancy and “Ronnie” was one of the highlights of the movie.
The critics have generally panned the movie, calling it a “soppy, poorly done biopic.” Rotten Tomatoes gave it one star. I was expecting this as I reviewed the critics’ responses. I knew it would not be well-received in the media.
My grandson liked the movie and had many questions about the Russian Empire and what happened to Gorbachev. I took the opportunity to explain the country’s fall under some tyrannical leaders and why Putin is anxious to expand Russian domination to what it was during his time in the KGB. If for no other reason, the discussion was worthwhile, and the time with our grandson was good. I did feel the movie was quite long and could have been shorter.
Anyone who remembers Reagan and his presidency would enjoy the movie. They may even shed a tear or two when Reagan rode on his horse into the sunset for the last time on his ranch in California.
