Movie Review: Reagan (2024)

Reagan (2024) directed by Sean McNamara

This bio-pic of President Ronald Reagan (Dennis Quaid) covers his whole life, from small-town middle-America to the White House and beyond. The story is framed as the reminiscences of a modern-day former KGB agent (Jon Voigt) who tells one of his Russian juniors how the Soviet Union fell. Almost all the credit goes to Reagan, though they do mention contributions from Pope Saint John Paul II (who is only seen in stock footage) and Margaret Thatcher (played by Leslie-Anne Down). The main focus is on Reagan's political conflict with the Soviets, arguably his largest contribution to history.

Quaid gives a very good performance as Reagan. He shows the integrity and strength of character through all his years for his involvement in the Screen Actors Guild to California politics and the presidency. The movie rushes a bit, trying to cover too many things in too little time. His complicated, evolving relationship with unions in California could make its own interesting film, or his years as governor of California, righting the economy while dealing in tough ways with civil unrest. The drama of his campaigns could make their own compelling narrative, as could the Iran-Contra scandal or his negotiations with Mikhail Gorbachev. This movie is more like highlights of what happened without digging deeper into the rich details. The film is just okay when it could have been great.

Mildly recommended--this is a good overview of Reagan's life and impact without getting into the depths of the man.