Reagan the Movie is a perfect 10! Masterfully composed, the flow of the story made sense to both young and old. I lived out of the country during most of Reagan’s presidency and it was like I saw all that I missed. It was certainly eye-opening. I learned many things about Reagan — some I won’t disclose here — that you can find out on your own when you watch it. And, I highly recommend you see it!
I was living in Puerto Rico in 1980 and couldn’t vote in the U.S. Presidential election because PR is a colony. I didn’t even register to vote there because I found the politics there too dividing. I wanted no part of them. My dad said, “If you don’t vote, then you can’t complain.” I was fine with that.
Once I moved to Miami in 1988, Reagan’s presidency was over. I was a die-hard Democrat back then — I’m not anymore. (You can read that story here.) Today, I hear Reagan’s famous quotes in political ads and I admire him. Back in 1980, America was in trouble. It was failing. Reagan saved it. America is in trouble again. You can’t help but see that the events of the 70s and 80s are happening again.
If we don’t learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it.
The movie opens cleverly with Reagan’s dramatic assassination attempt. The story then switches to present-day Moscow, Russia, where Víctor Petrovich — played superbly by Jon Voight — is interviewed by a young communist. Petrovich then tells Reagan’s whole story of how the American President stopped the Cold War and triggered the downfall of the Soviet Union.
Subsequently, the movie goes into Reagan’s childhood — where he got his nickname, “Dutch”. He was a believer and was baptized around the age of 10. Interestingly, as Governor of California, the Reverend George Otis, played by Pat Boone, tells Reagan that he sees him in the White House. Divine appointment?
Portraying Reagan
Dennis Quaid gave a powerful performance to the point that I stopped seeing him and started seeing Reagan. He says it was a daunting role to take on. I think he deserves an Oscar. We shall see.
It’s Déjà Vu
Reagan was elected at that time for a divine reason. Astoundingly, 20 minutes after Reagan took office on January 20, 1981, Iran released the hostages. They were held for 444 days and Jimmy Carter’s efforts failed. It took a strong personality like Reagan to instill fear into Iran’s leadership.
I can only pray that in January 2025 — or before — the hostages held by the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza will be released unharmed. As I write this, 5 families in Israel and 1 in America are mourning the deaths of their family members whose bodies were recovered in Gaza. They were shot just hours before they were found.
“It’s Very Relevant Now”
Jon Voight said that the movie was supposed to come out last year. I believe it premiered now for such a time as this – just before a pivotal American election. I feel what we’re going through today is déjà vu from Reagan’s years.
Every American should see this film!
For such a time as this. — That’s from the Book of Esther.
Reagan movie pictures are screenshots taken from IMDB. Go see it!
