“Reagan”

7.5

Pretty much exactly what I expected… which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

I feel like I forgot how good of an actor Dennis Quaid is. John Voight as a Russian spy was an interesting choice, but Quaid turns out to be a perfect pick.

What I was afraid was going to fall into the trap of being pure “Boomer Bait” in the first half actually lets some punches fly in the second half. I figured they would shy away from the skeletons in the closet of one of the more conflicting legacies in American politics, but they actually went there. From calling in the National Guard as Governor, to losing his jelly beans (Alzheimer’s) likely before departing the White House, to running guns and destabilizing Central America, South America, and the Middle East in just 2 terms… I figured “Narcos” and “Sicario” were going to be the only projects willing to admit we created our own enemies for the last 50 years trying to “fix” things.

The framing device of an old Russian recounting his life’s work was a weird choice, but fades more into the background as things take off, and you’re left with a mildly entertaining, albeit long biopic.