GENRE:
Bio-Pic
RATING:
PG for minimal violence and smoking
RUNTIME:
2 hours and 15 minutes
PLATFORM:
Movie Theatres
STARRING:
Dennis Quaid (Any Given Sunday, In Good Company)
Penelope Ann Miller (Kindergarten Cop); Mark
Moses (Mad Men)
DIRECTOR:
Sean McNamara (Soul Surfer)
WRITER:
Howard Klausner (Space Cowboys)
PLOT:
The life of Ronal Reagan.
FULL DISCLOSURE: Grew up with Reagan as president.
STORY STUFF: Oof! That was rough. Played more like a TV-movie than theatrical film. There is an awful frame story of a present day comrade asking an aging Jon Voight why the Soviet Union collapsed. He could have just said ‘Reagan’ and been done with it but instead gives this young guy a way too long biographical accounting of the 40th president. Except for the actual clever lines spoken by Reagan in debates and other press conferences, the rest is garbage. Nancy Reagan is apparently the most supportive wife on the face of the planet as expressed in her cheesy affirmations. I like some of the recreations of moments in history but it just doesn’t have the gravitas needed for a theatrical release.
ACTING STUFF: The only saving grace of Reagan is Dennis Quaid. I appreciated his performance. His voice is close enough without being too cartoonish. He has a twinkle in his eye that I thought worked. Everyone else is painful to watch. Wonder Years dad, Dan Lauria as Tip O’Neill? No, thanks. Entourage’s Johnny Drama, Kevin Dillon as Jack Warner? Laughable. Hercules’ Kevin Sorbo as a baptizing reverend? What? Lesley-Anne Down is terrible as Margaret Thatcher. I’ll admit I have a soft spot for Xander Berkeley, who always plays spineless leaders on TV shows, as George Schultz.
ARTISTIC STUFF: The de-aging of Quaid looks pretty good. The de-aging of Voight is disturbing for some reason. Maria pointed out that the jellybeans used were not decade accurate. They were more like recent Jelly Bellys instead of old school beans. The soundtrack to the film is pretty lame. There’s a final horse riding scene that almost seemed Titanic-like with its ethereal music send-off accompanied by tearful Nancy and secret service. Just awful.
VERDICT:
One stars out of five (for Quaid)
SEE IT IF:
You’re unable to wait to waste time watching it on a streamer
UPCOMING REVIEW: Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice
