The miniseries featured James Brolin as Ronald Reagan and Judy Davis as Nancy Reagan, and covers the period in time from 1949 when Reagan was still in Hollywood, through his governorship of California until Reagan's last day in office as President in 1989.
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Reviews
Thanks for the memories!
what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
This was not a great movie, but it was absorbing and kept my attention. It bordered on campy at times. It actually could have used four episodes to tell the entire story of the Reagans, and should have covered his after White House life. His diagnosis of Alzheimers and his dramatic admission would have made for further good viewing. The story may have had a "leftward" slant at times, but overall I thought the portrait of the Reagans was sympathetic. Reagan could be cold to his children, but warmhearted toward others. He didn't like conflict and both he and Nancy were socially tolerant, having cut their teeth in show business. Reagan did have a great sense of humor which comes through and lightens the tone. Looking back, it now seems quaint that this movie was so controversial at the time.
I know Ronald Reagan intimately. I lived in Texas when he was President. I am a news junkie, so I followed every twist and turn of his campaign and his Presidency. Let me tell you every detail and nuance of this movie is an out and out lie. It's as I said Fake History. It was so boring too, the movie I mean. The reality was exciting, packed with incident, and it was exuberant and optimistic. The man brought America back from the dead, and you felt alive, excited, watching it happen. If the movie told the real story it would have been as exciting and inspirational as hell. So in short, Ronald Reagan's economic legislation set America on a ten year path of growing GDP and 30 million good new jobs. For ten years after the US never had a down month in GDP. At the same time, he brought the Soviet Union down without firing a shot. Communist Russia was a fearsome enemy, armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons, and an imperialist ideology with the stated goal of conquering the whole world. Just think of the Nazis, but with a hammer and sickle instead of a swastika. Nothing in the movie gave him any credit for his successes. Instead it dwelled on a visit to the wrong German cemetery and selling arms to Iran for hostages, and giving money to the Contras to fight the Sandanistas in El Salvador contrary to a Democratic law against it. Barack Insane Obama has done it 1000 times. So sad.
James Brolin and Judy Davis, though neither Reagan lookalikes, are the pin around which the story of the Reagans revolves, of course, but my what good acting! That the supporting cast also is excellent, and that as far as I can judge, they follow the actual events pretty well, doesn't make it worse! In short, this TV play, is a very good history lesson for anyone, whether you was a Reagan fan, or the reverse! And there is all the ingredients, you'll need, for a really good story: happiness and sorrow, honesty and double-talk, irony and sincerity, suspense and quiet.8/10, for excellent acting and good handiwork.
No matter how you feel about this production you should see it before you "trash it". Nancy in this movie comes across fine! She does love her husband! To me everybody should be loved like this! She was his protector! She was always looking out what was best for him. In the long run this caused emotional distance between all of "Reagan's" children. Now this is not a perfect movie not by a long shot however you come away from it seeing that Nancy did what Nancy wanted but did it for love. Judy Davis does a great job as Nancy. James Brolin WOW great job. As far as the children they are shown like this: "Maureen" bland and no life. "Michael Reagan" as stupid brat and always in some sort of trouble. "Patty Davis" yes a rebel but please remember she was child of the 1960's. Who wasn't a rebel in the 1960's! "Ron Reagan Jr" well they seem to hint at certain things. Its ashamed that CBS did not show this. After I finished it I respected Ronald & Nancy Reagan more than ever.