A drama based on the life of Ronald Reagan, from his childhood to his time in the oval office.A drama based on the life of Ronald Reagan, from his childhood to his time in the oval office.A drama based on the life of Ronald Reagan, from his childhood to his time in the oval office.
- Awards
- 1 win
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMost of the film was shot in Oklahoma due to a then-new tax rebate law launched by the state in 2020, and due to COVID-19 restrictions that were much lighter compared to other states. Filming took place in Oklahoma City, Guthrie, Edmond, and Crescent, Oklahoma. Using CGI and special effects, the Oklahoma City Capitol Building was dressed up to look like the United States Capitol Building, and the Temple of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in Guthrie doubled for The White House.
- GoofsDuring the nightclub scene in 1941, the band performs "Swing on a Star," which wouldn't be introduced until 1944.
- Quotes
Ronald Reagan: As I see it, we don't mistrust each other because we're armed. We're armed because we mistrust each other. But I think that we both agree on the most important thing. That nuclear war can never be won, and must never be fought.
- Crazy creditsAt the end of the movie, during the credits, there are several actual photos from scenes shown in the movie.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Greg Kelly Reports: Jon Voight (2021)
- SoundtracksDon't Fence Me In
Written by Cole Porter
Used by the permission of WC Music Corp. (ASCAP)
Performed by Bob Dylan
Featured review
As a history movie and biopic nerd, I've been following the development of it for most of the last decade. Given its long development, not to mention some of its supporting cast choices (including politically conservative actors Jon Voight, Robert Davi, and Kevin Sorbo) and the fact it's been sitting on a shelf since it was filmed in 2020-21, I wondered what the final product would be.
I'll be honest: I've got very mixed feelings about the thing I spent two and a bit hours watching.
Quaid was fantastic, as I expected. A little airbrushed/over made-up looking in some of the younger scenes but damn good all the same. His reading of Reagan's 1994 Farewell Letter was remarkable. And, as predicted when the trailer dropped earlier this summer, Quaid didn't share a single scene with any of the aforementioned outspoken actors. A part of me suspects they have been brought in to get a bit more money without causing too much fuss.
And it's a film that clearly needed money if the production values are anything to go by. They're a couple of steps up from a Lifetime or cable tv movie. They tried but the budget wasn't quite there and you can tell it in the production values and the odd CGI shot that looked cheap. One area where the film had value put was in its score which was good, though overbearing in places due to the sound mix, with a highlight being the main title Cold War crash course (though The Man from UNCLE film in 2015 did the concept better).
Then there's the script. It tried to cram his whole life into two hours and it's deeply unfocused as a result. There's some stuff in it that's misrepresentation (such as the 1983 war scare) or just made up (including a sequence that shows the "Tear Down this Wall" speech covered live worldwide, a speech that was boosted to its current status mythic status well after Reagan left office). Like the production values, it's a couple of steps up from Lifetime or a Christian DVD movie (which it becomes in a few places rather jarringly) but it's got its moments. There's almost no nuance or sense of Reagan beyond politics or Nancy (their children barely appear), with AIDS covered in a brief montage and Iran-Contra dealt with in about eight minutes with no real look at what Reagan did or did not do. Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer this was not, with neither screenwriter Howard Klausner or director Sean McNamara capable of doing anything but highlight the positives.
Reagan the movie is a mixed bag, to put it mildly. Worth the wait of a decade? Probably not. Is there still a better film to be made about Reagan?
No doubt.
I'll be honest: I've got very mixed feelings about the thing I spent two and a bit hours watching.
Quaid was fantastic, as I expected. A little airbrushed/over made-up looking in some of the younger scenes but damn good all the same. His reading of Reagan's 1994 Farewell Letter was remarkable. And, as predicted when the trailer dropped earlier this summer, Quaid didn't share a single scene with any of the aforementioned outspoken actors. A part of me suspects they have been brought in to get a bit more money without causing too much fuss.
And it's a film that clearly needed money if the production values are anything to go by. They're a couple of steps up from a Lifetime or cable tv movie. They tried but the budget wasn't quite there and you can tell it in the production values and the odd CGI shot that looked cheap. One area where the film had value put was in its score which was good, though overbearing in places due to the sound mix, with a highlight being the main title Cold War crash course (though The Man from UNCLE film in 2015 did the concept better).
Then there's the script. It tried to cram his whole life into two hours and it's deeply unfocused as a result. There's some stuff in it that's misrepresentation (such as the 1983 war scare) or just made up (including a sequence that shows the "Tear Down this Wall" speech covered live worldwide, a speech that was boosted to its current status mythic status well after Reagan left office). Like the production values, it's a couple of steps up from Lifetime or a Christian DVD movie (which it becomes in a few places rather jarringly) but it's got its moments. There's almost no nuance or sense of Reagan beyond politics or Nancy (their children barely appear), with AIDS covered in a brief montage and Iran-Contra dealt with in about eight minutes with no real look at what Reagan did or did not do. Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer this was not, with neither screenwriter Howard Klausner or director Sean McNamara capable of doing anything but highlight the positives.
Reagan the movie is a mixed bag, to put it mildly. Worth the wait of a decade? Probably not. Is there still a better film to be made about Reagan?
No doubt.
- timdalton007
- Sep 16, 2024
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Рейган
- Filming locations
- Santa Monica, California, USA(Reagan Ranch)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $25,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $30,047,417
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $7,650,720
- Sep 1, 2024
- Gross worldwide
- $30,107,173
- Runtime2 hours 21 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39:1
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