Dennis Quaid stars as 40th president in reverential biopic Reagan

There have been plenty of movies that feature presidents as characters in a larger historical story or that examine notable periods in a certain president’s tenure. But films actually named after presidents are an odd bunch, including one laden with conspiracy theories (JFK), one about the final months of the Civil War (Lincoln), and one that’s mostly a comedy at the expense of a recent Commander-in-Chief (W.).

Although vastly different in tone, it’s that last film that the new Reagan most closely resembles, as both chart a man’s rise from young adulthood to the highest office in the land. As depicted in the film, Ronald Reagan (Dennis Quaid) is a conservative idealist whose nearly lifelong opposition to Communism is the driving force of his life. The story hits all the high points (and I mean ALL of them), from Reagan’s time leading the Screen Actors Guild as an actor to becoming governor of California to his consequential (for better or worse) two-term presidency in the 1980s.

Much attention is also paid to his personal life, starting with a somewhat rough upbringing. His relatively brief marriage to fellow actor Jane Wyman (Mena Suvari) gives way to the much more stable relationship with Nancy Davis (Penelope Ann Miller), who is shown to be just as – if not more – strong-willed than Reagan himself. The whole film is narrated by Viktor Petrovich (Jon Voight), a (probably fictional) longtime Soviet/Russian politico whose intense veneration for Reagan is self-evident.

Directed by Sean McNamara and written by Howard Klausner, the film is as hagiographic as they get. Reagan’s near-assassination in 1981 is the first thing shown, and the story rarely diverts from an overwhelming reverence for Reagan as a man, husband, and politician. Only a fleeting montage showing images of people protesting against or making fun of Reagan amidst his eight years as president gives any indication that he was not a universally adored person.

Instead, almost everyone with whom he interacts, friend or foe, has at the minimum a grudging respect for him. While most of this admiration makes sense in the context of the story, the framing device of Petrovich telling the story of Reagan’s life is an odd choice. His encyclopedic knowledge of Reagan’s entire life strains credulity, especially when he claims that he was tracking Reagan’s rise even before he became an actor.

The low-budget film does a decent job recreating iconic scenes and locations from Reagan’s life, although the seams do show in some of the shots requiring CGI. The heavy makeup they use to turn the 70-year-old Quaid and 60-year-old Miller into 1940s and ‘50s versions of their characters proves to be the most distracting aspect of the movie, as their ultra-smooth skin looks highly unnatural.

Quaid is required to play Reagan from his 30s to his late 80s, and even though he’s not convincing at every age, he does a solid enough impersonation to make him compelling throughout. This is Miller’s most high-profile role in years, and she proves her worth with an emotional performance that sells Nancy Reagan’s influence. The supporting cast is a mixture of known actors like Voight, C. Thomas Howell, and Kevin Dillon alongside lesser-knowns, and they are a mixed bag, with many of them not given enough screentime to make a big impression.

The intended audience for Reagan is crystal clear, and those who lean conservative will likely find no fault in the way the 40th President of the United States is portrayed throughout. From a purely filmmaking perspective, the film could have been improved in many ways, although the acting of the main cast does a lot to keep things interesting.

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Reagan opens in theaters on August 30.