Written by Alex Khun @magaman24
Before Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, there was a legendary man who led the United States into prosperity in the ’80s. His name was Ronald Reagan. Recently, a biopic was released in theaters starring Dennis Quaid as Reagan. I went to see it, and it was beautifully done.
The film showcases the entirety of Reagan’s life. Narrated through the voice of Jon Voight, who plays KGB spy Viktor Petrovich, the audience learns how Reagan became the president we all know him as. One of the highlights of this film was the aging process used on several actors, like Penelope Ann Miller, Jon Voight, and Dennis Quaid. I was surprised they were able to show Quaid as a younger Reagan during his time in Hollywood. They did a similar thing with Miller and Voight, showing them as younger versions of the characters they were playing, then aging them as the years went by. There was also a nice nod to the great actor Kevin Sorbo, who played Hercules in a film many years ago. He portrayed the pastor who baptized Reagan as a child.
I also enjoyed revisiting Reagan’s many great speeches. The movie did an excellent job of highlighting the best parts of Reagan’s most iconic speeches and cleverly showing their impact. For instance, Reagan’s use of “youth and inexperience” won him the presidency against Mondale. His use of “rendezvous with destiny” secured him the gubernatorial election of California. Lastly, his speech at the Berlin Wall was spectacular. He shouted, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” and, soon enough, the Berlin Wall was dismantled by the people. The Soviet Union was dismantled shortly thereafter.
The cinematography of this film was gorgeous! Christian Sebaldt did a spectacular job. California in the ’40s through the ’80s was captured wonderfully. The film makes me want to visit Reagan Ranch! The transitions from scene to scene were flawless. I hope Sean McNamara directs another movie. I’m not revealing much of the plot in this review because, to find out what happens, you should really watch the movie.
There was a particularly funny scene that had the whole theater laughing. Throughout Reagan’s presidency, Leonid Brezhnev and his successors died in office, which naturally made diplomacy between the U.S. and Russia difficult. The film showcased each of the Soviet leaders coughing, followed by a funeral procession. It was so funny, I nearly fell out of my seat! At the urging of Margaret Thatcher, who famously called Reagan “Cowboy,” Reagan eventually decided to meet with Gorbachev.
The ending of the film made me really sad. It turns out Reagan suffered from Alzheimer’s and died in 2004. The film’s final words were Reagan thanking the American people for trusting him as president, and then he rode into the sunset. Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched such a remarkable man.