Own the rights?
25 out of 44 people found the following review useful: This is "right on". No wonder conservatives buried this, 6 December 2003 Author: normbeau (normbeaulieu@attbi.com) from Boston, Massachusetts
In the beginning, I was a fan of the Reagans, but over his administration, things that are illustrated in this movie came to light and my opinion drastically changed. As far as the acting, James Brolin and Judy Davis have these characters nail down perfectly. No matter what you think of this movie, you can't deny they do an excellent job. Judy Davis, after her turn as Judy Garland, is the new Meryl Streep of taking on and transforming herself into a totally different character. Three cheers to here. As far a Brolin goes, I never really thought much of him as an actor, but he has changed my mind with this performance. I really think I'm watching Reagan. Amazing.There were two points in this movie that gave me a positive insight into Nancy Reagain. First was the point in the movie where she visits her mother in the nursing home and she grabs onto the words of her mother that say "I love you". You can see Nancy grab that and give her true feelings back. Unfortunately, the mother was telling everyone "I love you", which puts Nancy back to her normal cold self. What this did show me though was that Nancy was like she is probably due to a total lack of love and saying so in her childhood. I hope her kids understand this now.The second positive thing I saw, which I hope was accurate, was her grief and concern over the Aids epidemic. I think she felt the effect of this, but she couldn't get her husband to accept this and talk about it.Overall, I thought this was excellent and wasn't as "over the top" as I was led to believe.
11 out of 17 people found the following review useful: Big brouhaha over nothing., 1 December 2003 Author: Grynell from Milwaukee
In spite of the flack from the RNC and conservatives all over the country, this film was about as controversial as "Bambi." Left alone, no one would even remember seeing it a year from now. Far from being a "tell-all," it was handled almost lovingly. Brolin did a fairly decent *impression* of Ronnie, though never quite believable. Over the course of a couple of hours, Davis actually becomes Nancy. The striking thing about the storyline is that Ron's Alzheimer's was spotted very early on by Nancy, and actually gives a new slant to the hazy "I don't remember" days of the Presidency. Though certainly not as bad as predicted, it's still a long way from something I would recommend. If you're over 30, you'll get a kick out of it. The Al Hague sequences are hysterical!Watch this movie only if you have 3 hours to kill late some night.
23 out of 41 people found the following review useful: Mediocre and slanted., 23 December 2005 Author: PWNYCNY from United States
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.
18 out of 32 people found the following review useful: Actors can play presidents, 29 May 2004 Author: john c griffin (jgil@insightbb.com) from Chatham IL
James Brolin's portrayal of Ronald Reagan is easily the best I have viewed. Judy Davis was very good too in her portrayal of Nancy Reagan as she captivated Nancy's personality just as I would imagine it as Ronny's strong right hand. Viewers who criticize this as a "hatchet job" should either get their head out of the sand or read a history book because it is a well known fact that Ronny was an out of touch, hands off president who deligated power so recklessly that it finally got him in big trouble in the infamous "arms for hostages" debacle that casted a dark cloud over his final days as president. It is also well known that in his final years he was often in a memory lapped fog as his mind and memory were slowly degenerating in the early stages of undiagnosed Alzheimer's Disease. This was very apparent when he was interviewed about his role in the "arms for hostages" and he had a blank look on his face as he stated that he couldn't remember anything. Not long after that, his doctors finally diagnosed his condition and he made his final farewell speech and stated that he was going to "ride off into the sunset". He will always be remembered as a great president in spite of his flaws. This movie did a great job in showing Nancy and him, with all their blemishes, in a fair and accurate portrayal. It is also common knowledge that they had a poor relationship with their children and were somewhat cold and distant to them -especially Nancy being cold to her 2 stepkids by Jane Wyman. She was known to be quite jealous of Ronny's first wife and unfortunately for the 2 kids, they had to take the brunt. Knowing alot about this couple in advance made me enjoy the movie all the more, because it did not seem to pull any punches or gloss over their faults but also portrayed their good side too. James Brolin did such a good job of looking and acting like Ronnie that he deserves special recognition. My respect for him as an actor increased multifold after viewing this movie and it will remain as one of my favorites. Definitely a "10" out of 10 in my opinion. Banning this movie from television (it was originally a made for t.v. movie) was ridiculous and those who criticize this movie should have their heads examined!!
15 out of 27 people found the following review useful: A well made, well acted, well shot mini-series subverted by its script, 21 November 2004 Author: ebertjr from Hollywood, CA
If you're reading this, you probably are aware of the controversy that kept this mini-series off of CBS. At the time, this movie was made out to be a character assassination. After watching it, I realize that's not what it was, and why Reagan supporters hated this movie. The problem with this mini-series is that it's the dreaded docu-drama. Any insightful viewer who watches "The Reagans" will be left asking themselves how truthful this movie really was. This is the problem with the docu-drama in general. It's not a documentary, so it doesn't have to be held to any standard of fact (though Michael Moore somehow gets his movies labeled as documentaries, go figure).So this ends up being a hodge-podge of things that have been inferred about the Reagans' lives from tell-alls and public record. The script of this film tries to neatly fit tidbits of the Reagans' lives into 15 second exchanges of dialogue. For example, it's been long known that Nancy is/was interested in astrology. The way we get introduced to this is having Nancy get told about astrology at a party in 1958 or something like that. It's just a little too neatly put together. It's similar with the dialogue between Reagan and his political advisor's. Bottom line is, it's worth watching, though is too long, like mini-series always are. James Brolin does a very nice job of showing us the Reagan we all know. He also takes it past the Rich Little level -- he tweaks the character to show us someone that's just a bit deeper than the man we saw on television. At the end, you'll probably be left thinking it was entertaining, maybe informative, but you'll want to read a more detailed biography that might be a little more rock solid in fact. Did Reagan really not want to get out of bed on the day of his inauguration? Once again.. very hard to believe.
16 out of 30 people found the following review useful: Brilliant...plain and simple, 5 June 2005 Author: Robert W. (Robert_duder@hotmail.com) from Ontario, Canada
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
Late last year I hyped Jamie Foxx's role as Ray Charles as the best I have ever seen. Second best and very close second is James Brolin in his drop dead amazing portrayal as President Ronald Wilson Reagan. Robert Allan Ackerman brings us the much hyped, controversial film The Reagans.The Reagans basically begins with Ron meeting Nancy in a chance encounter years before the Whitehouse when they were both in Hollywood. We see younger Ron's passion and fire when it comes to Government and politics and we are shown his gradual rise to the top of the political parties through his defeats and eventually his greatest win of all. The movie then shows us the inner workings of one of the most controversial Presidencies. Hostages in Iran, an attempted assassination, "Star Wars" the missile defense system, and the end to the Cold War. All these issues and far more are dealt with no holds barred, showing both sides and also giving us the pros and cons of Reagan's decisions. At the heart of the film is the relationship between Nancy and Ron. Nancy is portrayed as overbearing, shallow at times, over confident, strong, dedicated, outspoken, controlling...her character is as anti-hero as it is hero at times. You have mixed opinions of her which is quite realistic to most peoples opinions. The film takes us right to the end of The Reagan Presidency showing us a man's legacy and a husband and wife who ran the country.James Brolin embodies and becomes Ronald Reagan. His character is just frighteningly exact which makes the movie so much more amazing even if the rest of the cast wasn't as good and the story lacked something, Brolin's performance could have carried it. Fortunately the story was wonderfully written and dealt with covering every major event in the administration and Reagan's early years. If anything the events they covered were a tad too brief but it never jumped around to the point of confusion and kept a decent pace. Judy Davis who I thought bore a striking resemblance to Annette Bening but nonetheless played the most controversial of the characters with Nancy Reagan. To me it is easy to see the level of controversy that The Reagan family and the Republican party would have had with this film. The family is portrayed as broken, and a casualty to Ron's emphatic political beliefs and macho image. Nancy is portrayed as only a staunch supporter of her husband no matter what she has to do to provide that support and at what cost to her children. Their daughter played excellently by Zoie Palmer is the best example of their tragic existence in this political family and atmosphere. The film holds no punches and in the end takes a slight turn towards being non partisan by slipping in the big picture damage that some of the decisions Ronald Reagan made had on the American way of life. Still the film is hands down one of the best political films or biographies I have ever seen if not for the sole reason of James Brolin and Judy Davis. Through all the chaos you feel pity and joy with these characters. This a must see especially for anyone interested in history of politics. An amazing supporting cast, and amazing storyline as well. 9/10
19 out of 36 people found the following review useful: If I were Nancy Pants, I wouldn't be happy, 30 November 2003 Author: JohnnyCNote from Jacksonville, FL
But then, Miss "Just say no" was not happy about a lot of things. There's no telling what might have really been said behind closed doors, but when one compares the historical record with this docudrama, it's hard to imagine how else it might have been. If you're a die-hard Reagan fan, you probably will not like this. Personally, I think it's dead on, but that's just an opinion.Far more controversial docudramas have been shown, but CBS caved into pressure from the Reagan cultists. That shows the power of the Reagan myth. I might add that I used to be a Reagan supporter, but after he was elected president, I changed to independent....
20 out of 38 people found the following review useful: A Necessary Watch, 11 June 2004 Author: Charles Errolls from Castro Valley, California
In the aftermath of Reagan's passing, the entire media is hurriedly engaged in rewriting the truth about this highly-flawed but interesting man. Virtually all of his significant errors, short-comings, and failures are being sanitized, and as his canonization completes itself the myths that remains will be a sham. Every citizen who values the truth should buy this DVD now and watch it before it disappears, just like the truths it reveals are disappearing.In this remarkably factual production we learn about Reagan the actor, capable and pleasant. We also learn that he snitched off his pals to the HUAC. We learn that during the war he made movies in Culver City for the Army, and later had trouble finding work, finally winding up as GE's spokesman for Death Valley Days on Television, a medium he always held in contempt.We watch his disdain for the IRS grow as his income skyrockets, and how it matures into a complete repudiation of the Federal Government. And as his resentment of the Federal Government grows, we witness how the shadowy rich seduce him into becoming their tax-cutting puppet, from the Governship of California through 2 terms in the White House. Most importantly, we learn the truth about the most dysfunctional family ever to inhabit the White House, based largely on Reagan's shocking disinterest in his own flesh and blood. Mainly, however, we learn the truth about Nancy. Let's just say that the truth as it is revealed here eclipses everything that you though you knew about this shrewd and manipulative woman.This film contains the truths about Reagan that the Modern Cons don't want you to know. The source-work for this film is beyond reproach, with most of it coming from the writings of Reagans children first published years ago.Production wise, it's great. James Brolin is uncanny in his capture of the Reagan personna, and he delivers a performance that is charitable and kind. I think it's his best ever. The other performances are equally as good.Bottom Line: The truth is out there, and this is it.
21 out of 40 people found the following review useful: Bravo to Showtime, 23 January 2004 Author: yenlo from Auburn, Me
All I can say is Bravo to Showtime for airing this picture. There seems very little doubt now (and not because of this movie) that what was depicted in this made for TV film is accurate. Ronald Reagan was a spaced out old man residing in his own private La-La Land who had a great PR campaign to buffalo the American people into believing that he was running the country. The GOP and conservatives objected to this film. Well boo-hoo! It was made and shown. Isn't that what America is all about? Or is it about what conservatives only want?
21 out of 40 people found the following review useful: A fair and accurate portrayal of a pathetic president, 30 November 2003 Author: Maga from The Greater Southwest
CBS really dropped the ball when they caved in to the right wing of this country by pulling this film. God Bless Showtime for having the courage and good sense to show it. To be honest, this movie confirmed more than enlightened. I always knew that Reagan was a simpleton who was dominated by a fanatical and crazed first lady. He was a President that prayed and then cut off funding to hospitals. He praised nature and then gave the go ahead for strip-mining operations. He ran up the biggest deficits of all-time and had no compassion for anyone that made less than six figures. This movie exposes this fraud for the joke he was and is. Brilliant! **** out of ****. Oh yeah, he was the family values President who was the only President to get a divorce.
Add another review
