-Written by Kyle Bain.
Reagan follows the life of famed President Ronald Reagan (Dennis Quaid) as he makes his way from lifeguard, to SAG president, to Governor, and finally to the Oval Office. The film depicts the many hardships that he faced throughout the course of his life, but also his many successes, including meeting his beloved wife Nancy (Penelope Ann Miller).
The first forty-fives minutes of Reagan is an absolute mess. It can’t find its footing, it can’t figure out which direction it’s headed, and it ultimately becomes a jumbled mess of blips from Reagan’s past. It seems that Director Sean McNamara attempted to use a series of vignettes to tell the story of Reagan, at least up until the assassination attempt (spoiler, sort of. If you weren’t aware of this then you’ve been living under a rock, so, I’m not sorry). Up to that point in Reagan’s life, all that Reagan does is bounce around from place to place, with seemingly no particular direction in mind. Sometimes it talks about how handsome and charming he is, sometimes it talks about how strong willed he was as the head of SAG, and other times it mentions seemingly inconsequential tidbits from his younger years. To be fair, in regard to inconsequential bits from the film, the narrative does mention that nothing is unimportant–so they sort of protect themselves from scrutiny in this regard.
Once the film hits the 1980’s, the time in which he was actively president (particularly right around the time of the assassination attempt), things become much more cohesive. At this point in the film (but still much too far into it) things become more linear and fluid, in a way that allows viewers to better focus and follow the story. It’s not that I was ever lost, I just couldn’t understand why Reagan jumped around so much. The final two acts of Reagan, however, are far more enjoyable, far more entertaining. I appreciate the direction that it headed at this point, and, honestly, even with the major issues that exist in the opening act, Reagan is ultimately saved as a result of the direction in which the film began to head around that forty-five minute mark.
Hair and makeup was hit or miss throughout the course of Reagan, and there were most certainly times when I turned my nose up to what the hair and makeup department was able to achieve in regard to Quaid’s aesthetic and creating something comparable to Reagan. However, most of the film sees great successes in this regard–and there were times when I was mesmerized by what they were able to accomplish. There are many times throughout the film in which actual footage of President Reagan is woven into the narrative, and sometimes as it moves back to Quaid’s version of the character I struggled to determine whether it was the real thing or the actor (Quaid that is). I’m greatly impressed by this aspect of the film–and this may very well be the best part of Reagan (even with its hiccups).
Reagan is told through the eyes of a former Russian spy, Viktor Petrovich (Jon Voight), which is an interesting decision if you ask me. To some degree I think this forces viewers to question the validity of some of the more extreme situations present in the film because, well…the Russians were at war with America when Reagan was in office. On the other hand, however, the way in which Petrovich tells the story makes it clear the level of respect that the Russians had for Reagan, and that catapults him to a new level of success in the eyes of viewers.
Reagan starts off as a mess, incapable of keeping my attention or even of making me care about the titular individual. By the start of the second act, however, the film proceeds with vigor and direction–one that moves it effectively from that point forward. Is Reagan the best biopic that I’ve seen? It’s far from it. Is it even the best I’ve seen in recent years? Still no. However, it does manage to right a rocky ship, and by the film’s conclusion I was hooked both physically and emotionally.
Directed by Sean McNamara.
Written by Howard Klausner.
Starring Dennis Quaid, Penelope Ann Miller, Mena Suvari, C. Thomas Howell, Amanda Righetti, Jon Voight, etc.
7/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE
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