Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Taraparain Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

Aubrey Hackett While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

dweilermg-1 In 1984 the Gipper was re-elected president by a huge landslide of Americans including many GOP, DEM and independent voters. In 1989 the man left office with high ratings generally loved by most Americans. So when word got out that this MFTV movie would portray the man as a senile fool CBS was bombarded with angry phone calls, letters and Emails demanding that this movie be pulled from their prime time schedule. To assume that all the anger was merely from conservatives may not be correct as the man was liked and respected by Americans of various political views.

Syl James Brolin and Judy Davis should have won Emmys for their performances as President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis Reagan from their first meeting to the end of their two terms in the White House. Brolin reminds me of why everybody liked Reagan. He seemed easy-going and he could talk to anybody. When Michael flunks out of school, he doesn't bash or criticize him but gets him a tutor and help with Nancy. The Reagan household is a blended one. He was married to actress, Jane Wyman, who was an Oscar winner and on Falcon Crest during his years of Presidency. Sadly, we never see Jane Wyman at all. I didn't know that the younger Patti and Ron Jr. didn't know about Michael and Maureen until Michael came to stay with them. Judy Davis as Nancy Reagan is divine in this role. She really portrays her as a wife, mother, and above all else Ron's best friend and partner in life. They really were an extraordinary couple in marriage. When he actually did die, Nancy didn't want to leave his coffin. It was a heartbreaking goodbye.

PWNYCNY Let me get right to the point: The problem with this movie is its utter lack of dramatic content. The story of Ronald and Nancy Reagan is so well known that this movie cannot offer any surprises. Further, the movie mocks Ronald and Nancy Reagan for being who they were - an actor and his devoted wife, and offers a simplistic portrayal of Mr. Reagan as being part Jed Clampett and part Gomer Pyle. What the movie glosses over is Ronald Reagan's career - college graduate, a Captain in the U. S. Army, the president of one of the most influential labor organizations in the entertainment industry, Governor of California and President of the United States. Pretty good resume for a small-town guy.

tickle_bee81658 After seeing this movie, I would admit that the acting by Brolin was excellent! However, I feel that President Reagan was portrayed as a man that couldn't or wouldn't care to make important decisions. This is contradictory to the actual man and President that he was. Case in point. A speech was being prepared to address the soviet union directly concerning freedom and the iron curtain. All of the advisor's of his administration, including Colin Powel, were concerned about the speech he was going to make. They felt that he statements would insult the leadership of the Soviet Union and more importantly, Mikial Gorbachev. The now famous statement, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall!" had an enormous impact on the policies and procedures between the United States and Russia. I just don't believe that this movie was a fair example of Ronald Reagan the man or the President. I feel that President Reagan will go down in history as one of the finest in American history...