The film, "Reagan" (MJM Entertainment/ShowBiz Direct) with Dennis Quaid (as our nation's 40th commander in chief) is indeed a positive portrayal.
Many now know about (and hopefully wholly comprehend!) Reagan's laser-like focus to end the Cold War and its accompanying nuclear arms race.
Reagan’s straightforward, more than easy understand philosophy, "We win, they lose."
Yet, critics seemingly despise this movie.
Regular folks, like you and me, seem to appreciate and love it.
In fact, the movie review website, Rotten Tomatoes notes this discrepancy. Only 18% of the critics (based on 61 reviews) like the film, while 98% of the movie-going public (based on "5000+ verified ratings") actually like it.
I was delighted to see at the very opening of the film that it was based on a book by Dr. Paul Kengor of Grove City College, "The Crusader."
I even whispered to my wife, "Hey! I know that guy!"
"The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism" is one of eight books Kengor authored about "The Gipper."
I have to admit, I’m a fan of Mr. Kengor’s and have interviewed him probably more than 50 times, mostly on radio.
Kengor wrote an article in the American Spectator, responding to critics of the movie, such as The Daily Beast, describing it as "the worst movie of the year."
They said: "You may have suspected that this MAGA-tinged hagiography would be absolute trash, but it turns out you didn’t think low enough." (The Daily Beast Aug. 30, 2024)
Well, in Reagan’s day, this type of disparity also existed: The intelligentsia hated him and what he stood for, while the common people loved him --- as well as his domestic and global policies.
Professor Kengor writes about a recent encounter: "One of my students asked how a man so vilified managed to win 49 of 50 states, nearly 60% of the vote, and the Electoral College 525 to 13, receiving millions of votes from Democrats.
"The answer is [those who vilified him were] always a small percentage filled with rage toward Ronald Reagan and any conservative Republican."
The movie reminded me of why I appreciated our nation’s 40th president, and his truly significant presidency, so much.
Let's consider some of his accomplishments:
—In one day, the day he was sworn in, the Iranian hostage crisis ended.
It's a safe bet that Iranian knew enough not to fool around with Reagan at the helm of the United States.)
—He played a pivotal role in ending the Cold War;
—He was the key architect of the longest peacetime expansion of the economy in our nation’s history, which lasted about two decades.
Above all, he inspired hope — especially at a time we sorely needed it.
Ronald Wilson Reagan managed to successfully pull together various factions. And let's face it, leaders since his time have not done so well in that regard.
And let's never forget Reagan was . . .
- Conservative on defense;
- Conservative on the economy;
- Conservative on social issues.
Those conservative values were securely wrapped up in, and singularly comprised, one great articulate leader.
Reagan knew what he believed and why he believed it. Period.
This is why he was able to inspire diverse groups to claim him as their own.
As a result, a great coalition emerged.
As to social issues, consider his anti-abortion stance.
I remember to this day what Reagan said during a 1980 debate on abortion.
A reporter quizzed him in a hostile way, as I recall, why he wasn’t "Pro-Choice"?
The Gipper responded, "Well, first of all, I happen to notice that everyone who’s pro-choice has already been born."
Furthermore, as president, in 1984, Ronald Reagan even penned a short book on the issue of the sanctity of life, "Abortion and the Conscience of a Nation."
When I first interviewed Kengor, we discussed another of the professor’s books, "God and Ronald Reagan."
Kengor mentioned how the great communicator’s first role in leadership was at his church as a teenager in Dixon, Illinois.
Another thing I learned from Dr. Kengor is that when Reagan was a young man and was baptized, his mother gave him a book that helped set the direction of his life. The book was "That Printer of Udell’s by Harold Bell Wright. It is an appreciably religion-themed novel, from 1903.
That book is featured in the movie as a key influence in the life of Reagan.
[For those who have seen the movie, this is the supposedly nefarious (to the Soviets) book that the Jon Voight character (as a Russian leader, worried about Reagan) keeps bringing up.
To Ronald Wilson Reagan, understand that book.]
It’s essentially the story of a man who comes to have strong faith, who then sees himself called by the Lord to do something important for humankind globally.
So he runs for public office and eventually ends up in Washington, D.C., as a successful statesman. This now-forgotten Christian book helped set the trajectory for one of our greatest presidents.
I highly recommend "Reagan."
I wrote to Paul Kengor, saying, "Paul, what a great film. Thanks for your role in helping create it." We need to see this movie, time and again.
Let's hope it's glorious message sinks in, for eternity.
Jerry Newcombe, D. Min., is the executive director of the Providence Forum, an outreach of D. James Kennedy Ministries, where Jerry also serves as senior producer and an on-air host. He's written/co-written 33 books, including "George Washington's Sacred Fire" (with Providence Forum founder Peter Lillback, Ph.D.) and "What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?" (with D. James Kennedy, Ph.D.). Read Jerry Newcombe's Reports — More Here.