Sean McNamara’s biopic on America’s 40th president doesn’t reveal much new detail about what the former actor turned politician went through in his rise to become one of the most popular and unifying modern figures. One doesn’t have to be well-versed in political history to be surprised by what moments are recreated in this biopic. If you’re unfamiliar with his life story or recall hearing some bits in history class, then you might be surprised by what is covered here.
Buy Reagan Blu-rayMcNamara’s film starts off in March of 1981 at the Hilton Hotel where Reagan had an assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr. as he was telling a joke at a union rally. From there, it explores his early childhood upbringing with a difficult father (Justin Chatwin), and a mother (Amanda Righetti) who helped him overcome his fears to pursue his dreams of becoming an actor.
Most of the story is narrated by a former KGB agent named Viktor (Jon Voight), who claims to know the man the most. This is an interesting take, since Voight has stated during numerous interviews that the character he portrays isn’t based on an actual person. But Viktor explains everything he remembers about Reagan (Dennis Quaid) and how he came to dismantle the USSR and accomplished other significant events during his tenure as president.
Even during the early years, there is some narration about how Reagan was president of the Screen Actors Guild, how he saw the uprising and influence of communism in the Hollywood industry, and how his career went from B-movie actor to commercial salesman – leading to the failure of his marriage to Oscar-winning actress Jane Wyman (Mena Suvari) and later the resurgence of a new life with Nancy Davis (Penelope Ann Miller). It’s almost unnecessary to have each moment narrated with dialogue when the movie does a decent job at showing the actor’s mediocre rise and fall before pursuing a successful career in politics.
Reagan plays like a selection of highlights during the former president’s career, with sprinkles of conflict here and there. While many saw him as an influential figure, others saw him as evil – and that’s covered mainly in newsreels and photos. McNamara gives the viewer a taste of the challenges Reagan faced during his presidency, but there are only a few moments where it gets a little bit more detail to give it that intrigue needed for biopics.
But, despite the issues that most cinema enthusiasts would have with a biopic, McNamara brings an element of charm to the film, elevated by Quaid’s winning portrayal of Reagan. His makeup and wardrobe don’t disguise him as well as, say, Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln, but Quaid captures the mannerisms and quip-timing effectively well. Reagan was known for cracking jokes, telling doctors operating on him that he hopes they’re Republicans. To which one doctor responds: “Today, we’re all Republicans.” As Hollywood-like as it sounds, it did happen. He also joked with Nancy that he “forgot to duck.”
Later in the film, when asked about concerns on his age and ability to effectively serve, Reagan cracks that he wouldn’t “exploit the youth and inexperience” of his opponent, former Vice President Walter Mondale. Some of these key scenes are recreated with archival footage, with Quaid green-screened into the picture. It feels slightly out of place, even with Quaid maintaining the charm of Reagan during these moments.
As a political junkie, and someone who admired Reagan’s accomplishments and persona, I appreciated what McNamara did by showing how Reagan handled certain situations and employing an actor like Quaid to give a commanding performance. But I also wish that it had gone more into the struggles he faced during his presidency, and how his first debate with Mondale gave some uncertainty on how he could handle the tasks of the presidency.
Reagan is more of a celebratory feature than one that is an even examination of our 40th president. But it also gives timely messages on society today. Released pre-2024 election, there are some lines that resonate well with how people should see the president and how the government shouldn’t be a system that gives the people everything they please. It may not fully sway those who opposed Reagan or currently oppose Trump to join the Republican party, but it does serve as a wholesome feature on what makes the American country great and how one man was able to bring people together in times of disarray.
And he didn’t need some red cape or high-end technology to do so either. It was just his charm and his way to connect to the American people in a non-controversial manner.
The Blu-ray release for Reagan doesn’t contain special features, but it does come with a DVD and digital copy of the film for people to watch on various formats. It would have been interesting to see more behind-the-scenes details. But I appreciated McNamara’s effort in bringing Ronald Reagan’s story to the big screen.
Reagan releases to Blu-ray on November 19.
