Producers had not planned for the biopic about Ronald Reagan’s life to premiere so close to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. However, due to delays caused by the pandemic and an actors’ strike, the film could not be released until August 30.
It seems easier to portray a historical figure that no one remembers today. In the case of “Reagan,” this challenge seems particularly great.
Actor Dennis Quaid, who plays Reagan, is more than up to the challenge.
Quaid avoids the temptation to portray Reagan as a caricature. Although he resembles the 40th president with the help of hair extensions and makeup, Quaid’s portrayal does not detract from the memories of those who lived through his presidency.
The film opens with real news footage of Reagan’s shooting on March 30, 1981, as he was leaving the Washington Hilton Hotel. It includes his now-famous line to Nancy Reagan (convincingly played by Penelope Ann Miller), “Honey, I forgot to duck,” as well as his joking comment to surgeons at George Washington University Hospital, “I hope you’re all Republicans.” These two comments endeared him even to many of his political opponents, including Speaker Tip O’Neill, who is portrayed (by Dan Lauria) visiting Reagan in the hospital and elsewhere agreeing to stop talking politics at 6 p.m. when he and Reagan would discuss how to settle their differences over drinks at the White House.
While he recalls his childhood, his early acting careers and his presidency of the Screen Actors Guild, when Hollywood actors, writers and others who were alleged to be communist sympathizers or party members were blacklisted, much of the film revolves around Reagan’s efforts to reduce the Soviet Union and United States’ nuclear arsenals. Responding to criticism for not meeting with a number of Soviet leaders, he said, “I would, but they keep dying.” Eventually he meets reformer Mikhail Gorbachev, played by Olek Krupa, who bears little resemblance to the man he portrays (except for the birthmark on his head) but sticks to the historical “script.”
Reagan’s insistence on continuing his Strategic Defense Initiative (known to his critics as “Star Wars”) is rightly seen as a factor in the downfall of the Soviet Union during the administration of his successor, George HW Bush.
The film accurately portrays Reagan’s toughness and convictions, but also shows things that are missing in many political circles today. These include his sense of humor (YouTube has a collection of some of his better jokes) and the fact that he treated even his opponents with respect. A line that doesn’t appear in the film but is an apt description of his way of criticizing his opponents’ views without insulting them: “The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they are ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that is wrong.”
Unlike Meryl Streep’s portrayal of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady (the film begins with her dementia, while the Reagan film ends with his in a way that should bring tears to your eyes – it did mine), Reagan is more of a love letter to a man who did great things for his country and the world. There couldn’t be a better obituary for a political leader.
If you are under 40, watch the film and learn more than what biased historians and the media say about this man. If you are over 40 and lived through his presidency, watch the film and be reminded of what real leadership looks like and how one man, working with a British Prime Minister and a Pope, helped bring freedom to millions in Eastern Europe and restored faith in their country to many Americans.
Cal Thomas is syndicated by the Tribune Content Agency. Readers can email him at [email protected].
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