By Geno McGahee
You can’t lose with Dennis Quaid. I remember when I was very young and saw DREAMSCAPE and was a fan then and he is still going. REAGAN might be the film that will define him as an actor. He knocks it out of the park as the 40th President of the United States, Ronald Reagan.
In most films, a notable actor still shines through the character, but there are times when they become the character and you forget just who is playing them. Quaid becomes Reagan in this film and it is a love letter to the former President and his life before, during and after politics.
The story is told from the perspective of a former KGB agent (Jon Voight) as he is questioned as to why the Soviet Union fell. He tells the tale, starting with the Hollywood exploits of Reagan with a focus on interest in the spread of communism. Reagan was an FBI agent and was attempting to keep KGB hands out of the film business.
Realizing that he could do more to stop communism, Reagan turns his attention to politics. The film really gives a window into the life of a major politician and what they are up against and the scrutiny they are under.
Ronald Reagan is one of the Presidents of the past that you don’t hear a lot of negativity about and it might have been done to a charm or accomplishments or maybe both. Quaid captures the charm and his interactions with his wife Nancy (Penelope Ann Miller) felt very genuine. The Reagans were a team that took on the world together and there wasn’t a huge scandal that hit them. At least in comparison to what we’ve seen since.
REAGAN is an amazing film and Quaid gave his all to recreate the President. It’s not surprising that this film did well considering that it was just a well-written drama about a beloved former President. With all of the fighting over politics nowadays, it’s nice to see something where unity was more present, so much so that Reagan won 49 of 50 states.
I highly recommend REAGAN. Dennis Quaid being a likable character in most films translated well to this role and knocked it out of the park. It looks great on Blu-ray and it can be found on VOD as well.
