Reagan, PG-13
***
This inspiring film looks at the life of President Ronald Reagan from the time of his childhood in Dixon, Illinois, and his time at Eureka College, through his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease. The film was directed by Sean McNamara, and written by Howard Klausner based on Paul Kengor’s 2006 book The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism.
Reagan’s story is told by a former Soviet KGB agent Viktor Petrovich, played by Oscar winner Jon Voight (Midnight Cowboy), to a young Russian politician. Reagan was long considered a threat to communism.
Dennis Quaid (I Can Only Imagine) portrays the adult Ronald Reagan, and David Henrie plays the young Reagan. Amanda Righetti plays Reagan’s mother Nelle. Mena Suvari portrays Jane Wyman, Reagan’s first wife, and Penelope Ann Miller portrays Nancy, Reagan’s second wife.
The film shows the importance of faith throughout Reagan’s life, being influenced early on by his mother, and by reading a 1902 novel by Harold Bell Wright, titled That Printer of Udell’s.
The theme of Reagan’s fight against communism is the primary theme of the film, from his time as Vice President of the Screen Actors Guild, to his time as Governor and later as the 40th President of the United States.
The film shows Reagan’s first marriage to actress Jane Wyman falling apart as she didn’t think he should be getting involved in politics, surviving an assassin’s bullet, the Iran-Contra scandal, and his famous June 12, 1987 speech at the Berlin Wall where he said “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”
Quaid and Miller are good in their roles as Ronald and Nancy Reagan. The film features some good music, including Bob Dylan’s cover of Cole Porter’s song “Don’t Fence Me In” over the closing credits. The film includes some violence (the assassination attempt), no sexuality, and language that you will hear on network television.
Reagan is a well-made film about his life-long battle against communism.
