Why Everyone Should See REAGAN
By Movieguide® Contributor
The cast of REAGAN explained why the movie is great for any audience and how the plot tells a new part of Reagan’s story that the public never knew.
“This is a great reminder to people who lived [during Reagan’s presidency] and what this country used to be and how great it still can be for those who were too young to know,” Dennis Quaid told Movieguide®. “It reminds us we’re all Americans; this is our story. I think we want people to be entertained. I see people moved at the end of the movie, it’s a relationship story too, which is a beautiful thing, so I think it has a little bit of everything in it.”
The movie focuses on the entirety of Reagan’s life, from when he was 5 years old to when he said goodbye to the nation after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. His relationship with his wife and how she lifted him up to be a greater man than he ever could have been on his own is particularly highlighted.
“I don’t think you can tell Ron’s story without Nancy. It was the central relationship of his life,” Quaid said.
“I think people were fascinated by their relationship but I don’t think they knew a lot about it,” added Penelope Ann Miller, who plays Nancy Reagan in the movie. “That’s what’s cool about our film is that you actually see how that relationship came about, how they met, how their love story evolved, how fiercely protective Nancy was of Ronald, and how much she believed in him and lifted him and supported him and helped him find his purpose in life. It’s really cool.”
Because the movie has something for everyone, and is a great reminder of how our country used to be, Quaid encourages everyone to see the movie, even if they normally wouldn’t go out to theaters.
“I want to talk especially to the baby boomers — that’s me as well — we’re always complaining that there’s nothing made for us,” he said. “Go see this movie. Get out of the house, go to the movies again, you know what I mean. The ’80s were such a great time for movies, and this one lives there, so come on out.”
REAGAN hits theaters on Aug. 30.
Check out the rest of Movieguide®’s interview here:
Movieguide® previously reported:
Dennis Quaid is proud to portray Ronald Reagan, one of America’s greatest presidents, in the upcoming biopic REAGAN.
“He became president at the exact right moment in history,” Quaid said of our nation’s 40th president while on Mike Rowe’s podcast. “In this country, we’d been through Watergate, went through all that. Jimmy Carter came along, who I voted for by the way. He was honest. There was this kind of like this becoming a man thing.”
“It was also the times with oil and gas, and there was a malaise that took over this country,” Quaid added. “He [Reagan] even said so on television, about the malaise that had taken over and we were a country in decline. That started from the Vietnam era and Reagan came along and it was the perfect time. He told us, ‘There’s a light and America is a beacon on a hill.’”
However, Quaid was initially unsure about accepting the role.
“I didn’t say no, and I didn’t say yes because, really, fear,” he told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “Reagan was my favorite president personally, and he was also such a recognizable figure around the world, sort of like Muhammad Ali.
