Reagan

Arguably old fashioned, occasionally corny but surprisingly powerful, REAGAN is a loving tribute to the life of the 40th President of the United States.

Whatever side of the aisle you're on (and my review is about the film, not a political statement) there is no denying the historical importance of Reagan's two terms in office. His impact on the Soviet Union changed the world forever.

The film is structured as a series of flashbacks, as an aging, former KGB agent Viktor Petrovich (Jon Voight) relates his history with Reagan.

As he tells Reagan's history, the film flashes back and forth, introducing us to "Dutch" in his early days of Hollywood as a likeable B-movie actor and his marriage to Jane Wyman (Mena Suvari from "American Beauty").

Dennis Quaid is instantly likeable as Reagan, which is no surprise as he's always been one of our most relatable American actors. From his early days in 80's films like "Innerspace" and "The Right Stuff", Quaid has played the funny, charming cowboy. He's a perfect fit as Reagan and impresses with the right dose of Ronnie's well known accent, endless "Well....."s to start a sentence and gentle head rocks when he's about to land a punchline.

As Communism and Hollywood intertwine in the 50's, Reagan shows the first signs of his patriotic voice, emerging as a leader against the socialist movement.

Quaid is a lot of fun in these scenes, you can see his confidence building as he discovers more comfort behind a podium than on a Hollywood set.

As his career fades into lesser and lesser films and one embarrassing Vegas appearance, his political star rises.

At 2 hours and 20 minutes, the film has room to explore the behind the scenes workings of his pursuit of the California Governor's office and then the Presidency.

For me, the film gets better and better as it goes.

I was in my 20's in the 80's and remember all the events depicted very well, but I was very surprised as I was reminded about key events in that decade.

Dan Lauria (The Wonder Years) is a standout as Tip O'Neill, Democratic Speaker of the House, reminding me of a time when both sides of the aisle could meet in the middle and that while we may politically disagree doesn't mean we have to hate each other. (a lost art.....)

Two key scenes between Lauria and Quaid are a solid base for the second half of the film. The two meet on Reagan's first day in office and Reagan tells Tip that the "political day ends at 6. After that, we're just two Irishmen sharing a beer".

We need more of that today.

O'Neill's visit to Reagan in the hospital right after the assassination attempt that put a bullet in Reagan's chest is a powerhouse. These are two men with very different views during the workday, but bound in their commitment to the country. Superb.

Robert Davi (License to Kill) is unrecognizable as a chain smoking Brezhnev.

Olek Krupa (Miller's Crossing) is a dead ringer for Gorbachev and he and Quaid are terrific together, recreating some events that changed the world.

Reagan's debate against Walter Mondale is hilariously presented and a great deal of history is recounted, much of it in effective montages that move us through time.

The emotional core of the film is the love story between Reagan and Nancy, played by Penelope Ann Miller. The biggest shock of the film for me was Miller. She is one of my least favorite actresses and has been a disaster in every film I've ever seen her in. "Carlito's Way" with Al Pacino, oof. "The Relic" ouch. "Chaplin" with Robert Downey Jr., ugh.

Somehow, Nancy is the perfect role for her and she shares terrific chemistry with Quaid.

The final 45 minutes of the film details Reagan and the fall of the Soviet Union under his pressure and diplomacy. The film really hits it's stride here, pulling you through history with humor, suspense and plenty of emotional power.

"Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" has never punched me in the gut like it does here.

As we watched Reagan fade into Alzheimer's and all that entails, we were hammered with the emotions of the disease's impact of all those surrounding the President. Having just lost one parent to Alzheimer's last month and another in her 5th year of dealing with the impact of it, the finale hit me hard.

As the final credits role, we see news footage of Reagan's funeral in DC and California and Nancy's heart wrenching final goodbye.

Emotionally powerful, the film leaves you moved in a way that I've only felt a few times, memorably with Blitz Bazawule's powerhouse "The Color Purple" finale last year.

Is the film perfect? Of course not. It's a love letter to Dutch and has a large blind spot to his notable failures, but I'd argue that his triumphs in office far outweighed those shortcomings. Director Sean McNamara doesn't really bring any special style to the film, often shooting it like a TV movie. The aging makeup is particularly awkward trying to de-age Quaid and Voight for the early flashbacks. We know that this can be done flawlessly (witness Harrison Ford as Indy in "Dial of Destiny") but I suspect a low budget was the deciding factor on going this direction.

The film is probably 20 minutes too long as well, but as the final 45 minutes wrapped itself around me and inspired. Minor quibbles be damned, this is a a powerful film.

When Reagan was running against Jimmy Carter in his bid for reelection, he went off script and spoke from the heart, saying these words that are still often heard during election cycles, five decades later.

"Ask yourself. Are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier to buy things from a store than it was four years ago? Is there more, or less unemployment in the country? Is America as respected throughout the world?"

REAGAN earns a very solid B.