The Reagan Movie: Remembering When Politics Was Positive

The long-awaited movie about the life of Ronald Reagan officially premiered on Friday. And reactions to it are already coming out swiftly.

Even political opposites agree that Reagan was not only a president of consequence but easily the most significant conservative figure of the 20th Century. It is no surprise that the film, the result of several years of work by director Sean MacNamara and shot in part at the Reagan Ranch in California owned by the Young America’s Foundation, is a big hit with conservatives. Conservative organizations such as the Thomas Jefferson Institute in Virginia and numerous Republican Party outlets nationwide hosted early showings of Reagan.

It is also not surprising to find Reagan panned by notably liberal outlets such as the Washington Post and the Daily Beast. “As history, it’s worthless,” concluded Post reviewer Ty Burr. The Beast went further, labeling Reagan “Worst Movie of the Year.”