Get the latest gossip
‘Reagan’ Review: Dennis Quaid’s Affable yet Authoritative Presidential Performance Leads a Blatantly Worshipful Biopic
'Reagan,' a biopic about the political and personal life of President Ronald Reagan, stars Dennis Quaid in an affable turn and is directed by Sean McNamara ('Soul Surfer,' 'Bratz').
Director Sean McNamara(“Soul Surfer”), working from a by-the-numbers screenplay by Howard A. Klausner (based on Paul Kengor’s book “The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism”), is nothing if not brisk in his recounting of highpoints in the life of an iconic figure who, for better or worse, loomed large and exerted influence on the world stage throughout the final quarter of the 20th century and beyond. Viktor Petrovich is an invented character, used as a narrative device in a manner not unlike author Edmund Morris’ insertion of himself as a fictional observer in his controversial 1999 Reagan biography “Dutch.” But Voight pulls it off, persuasively and often affectingly, even with a tricky Russian accent. (“If you put as much work into your career as you do making your speeches,” she complains, “you’d have an Oscar by now.”) But never mind: Getting divorced allows him to connect with the true love of his life, Nancy Davis (Penelope Ann Miller), even though there’s a slightly creepy quality to his smooth moves during their meet-cute: Of course, as SAG President, he’ll gladly help her avoid being unfairly blacklisted — after they discuss the matter over dinner.
Or read this on Variety
