"Reagan" doesn't tell the best story
Dennis Quaid tries but can't evoke the Reagan charisma
There were two silver-haired matrons — a full third of the audience — for the matinee debut performance of “Reagan” who were just a few steps behind me, leaving the Fallschase Cinema yesterday afternoon.
“Well,” one said to the other. “We got quite a history lesson there.”
If only it were even close to being true. Sean McNamara’s new cartoony film/propaganda spin about the life of Ronald Reagan, two-term President of the United States went way out of its way to let us know that Reagan (A.) feared Communism (B.) fought Communism (C.) broke Communism and along the way, rode a few horses, had a few memorable debate moments — “There you go again” or “I will not make age an issue in this campaign….” — loved the hell out of his second wife (not so much his first one), ignored his kids (there’s a moment when he and Nancy, out for a night on the town, wave to the housekeeper holding baby Patti— only time we see her) and ended up his eight-year Presidential run in a morass of scandal, confusion and deception.
He missed the story. A BETTER, MORE INTERESTING story. MY story.
Sure, I’m biased but listen to what they COULD have done with a movie like this:
Aging, two-time Presidential loser decides, at age 69, that he HAS to try one more time for the Oval Office.
Fearful campaign manager John Sears (not depicted in the film) is afraid Reagan will say something stupid so he doesn’t let him go to the Iowa Caucus which kicks off the 1980 race.
George Bush goes to Iowa, wins the caucus and rolls into New Hampshire, the nation’s first primary, with a 21-point lead. A 21-POINT LEAD!
Reagan’s manager freaks, concocts a desperate plan for a one-on-one debate: Just Bush and Reagan and pitches it to all New Hampshire newspapers. All of them say “No way.” Except one. MY NEWSPAPER, the NASHUA TELEGRAPH.
Reagan breezes into the Telegraph newsroom one morning for a tense, brief meeting with the Executive Editor, DOESN’T SAY A WORD OR WAVE OR ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE ENTIRE NEWSROOM IS WATCHING HIM while he is there. He ducks back down the stairs as if he couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there.
On the night of the debate, Reagan double crosses the newspaper and its’ boneheaded Executive Editor by bringing all the OTHER Republican candidates, all those who WEREN’T invited to the debate, out on the stage.
The boneheaded Executive Editor loses his temper (a very short trip) and demands the sound man turn off Reagan’s microphone. (The sound man wisely refuses.)
Since Reagan’s campaign ended up funding the debate due to campaign laws, (Bush refused) Ronnie is trying to be bullied into silence by the Executive Editor . HE LOSES IT.
“I AM PAYING FOR THIS MICROPHONE, MR. GREEN!”
(His name was actually Breen) The jam-packed crowd at the Nashua High gym goes as berserk as if Oprah was handing out cars. Reagan has won the debate and with it, the New Hampshire Republican Primary and with that, ultimately the Republican Nomination and the Presidency. Just like that.
None of this is mentioned, even hinted at, in the film. One minute he decides to run, next thing you know, he’s in the White House. And no, they didn’t show his Inaugural where he said “Government is not the solution to your problems, Government IS the problem.” Or the hostages instantly walking free, the year-and-a-half hostages that his henchmen had made a pre-election deal with Iran to hold up UNTIL Reagan was sworn in. Nobody questioned it.
While the film did mention the FAA strike where Reagan just fired ‘em all, they didn’t mention him allowing the networks’ Fairness Doctrine to expire which opened the door to Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, Sean Hannity and a $787.5 million-dollar fine for lying just a few years down the road.
Nor did they get into the ludicrous failure of Reaganomics, how the American middle class drifted further and further away from the center of wealth in our country while the rich got wildly richer.
Or did they quote Thomas “Tip” O’Neill’s comment that “There’s no question in my mind that Ronald Reagan was the worst (President). It was sinful that Ronald Reagan ever became President. Whenever we got over there (White House), he operated from a 3x5 card…He wasn’t deep in the subjects when you compared him with other Presidents. But I have to say he was a lazy fellow, never did his homework, never paid attention to the briefings, never well-prepared.”
Or what this historian Robert Dallek said: “Perhaps no one opened the way to Donald Trump’s presidency more than Ronald Reagan.”
Given the timing of all this — releasing a politically-oriented movie just a couple months before “THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR TIME” — the filmmakers missed the perfect opportunity to make a statement about the 2024 candidates and this upcoming critical vote.
And they had the perfect place to do it. The film opens with the newly elected Reagan giving his first major speech, addressing the AFL-CIO folks at Washington’s Hilton Hotel on March 30, 1981. And the way the film closes his speech, Reagan says “Now help us rebuild it.”
In real American life, Reagan actually closed the speech like this: "As I ask all Americans, in these months of decision, please join me as we take this new path. You and your forebears built our nation. Now, please help us rebuild it. And together, we’ll make America great again.”
Reagan went out and got shot after that speech. But you know where SOMEBODY got that idea. Stop the steal? Might have made a neat tag line for the film.
Best part of the movie? Bob Dylan singing “Don’t Fence Me In” as the credits rolled.
John Nogowski is the author of “Nashua: How Ronald Reagan led us to Donald Trump” available now on Amazon, also in Tallahassee at Midtown Reader.
Nicely done !!! I haven’t seen the movie, but the historical context you provide is the truth!!