REAGAN: Great movie about the president

I encourage everyone to go and see the movie REAGAN now in theaters. It stars Dennis Quaid as President Ronald Reagan and Jon Voight as KGB agent Viktor Petrovich.

Where were you when you heard the news that President Reagan had been shot? I was on a college campus and remember walking by the front of the library and catching the news on a mounted television. A crowd formed in the lobby, and we silently stood, looking up at the TV in disbelief.

Ronald Reagan was the first president I voted for, in 1980, the year I turned 18. I liked Reagan’s unapologetic pride in America and his desire for people to be free. During his second campaign for president, while attending Western Washington University, some hoodlums scrawled graffiti on the walls of the Student Union Building. I loyally took a bowl of water and a sponge and scrubbed the bricks removing the disparaging remarks. The taggers had used chalk rather than paint.

Dennis Quaid impressively impersonates Ronald Reagan. In an interview, the actor claims he spent two years practicing the president’s voice. No need for a voice over, he sounds just like “the Gipper.” The film takes you from Reagan’s childhood to his time in the Oval Office. It intertwines original news reports, newspaper headlines, iconic attire, and well-known political figures. If you’re not so much into political dramas, that’s OK. The story provides enough human interest to satisfy the sentimental.

Lastly, don’t forget to stay for the scene after the credits — almost missed it. I am going to invite my adult kids to watch the film. REAGAN is worth seeing a second time.

JENNY HOLMES

Post Falls