Dennis Quaid stars in the new film chronicles the life of former President Ronald Reagan. Despite its box office success, the film has received mixed reviews, with far-left outlets criticizing it as propaganda. However, Quaid insists that the film is not political but rather a love story about America.
"Reagan," the first full-length feature film chronicling the life of former President Ronald Reagan, outperformed box office expectations in its opening weekend. Starring Dennis Quaid as the 40th U.S. president, "Reagan" closed out the Aug. 30–Sept. 2 Labor Day weekend with an estimated $10 million, according to Box Office Mojo. The film took the third spot behind "Deadpool & Wolverine" and "Alien: Romulus."
The biographical drama "almost doubled projections that it would make about $5 million in its opening weekend," the Oklahoman reported on Monday morning when the film was projected to earn $9.2 million.
Dennis Quaid's 'Reagan' Transcends Politics Amid Box Office Success and Critical Divide
Despite its box office success, "Reagan" has received mixed reviews. Audiences gave it a 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes as of Tuesday, while critics, especially from left-wing outlets, largely panned the film.
Far-left site The Daily Beast called "Reagan" "the worst movie of the year." "You may have suspected that this MAGA-tinged hagiography would be absolute trash, but it turns out you didn’t think low enough," entertainment critic Nick Schager wrote in the Daily Beast.
Dennis Quaid's 'Reagan' Transcends Politics Amid Box Office Success and Critical Divide
Brutal reviews were also published in The Washington Post, Variety, The Wrap, and The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the film's opening weekend. "The faithful for whom ‘Reagan’ was made aren’t likely to see that it’s a hagiography as rosy and shallow as anything in a Kremlin May Day parade. As pop-culture propaganda — popaganda, if you will — the movie’s strictly for true believers. As history, it’s worthless," Washington Post's Ty Burr wrote.
In The Wrap, critic William Bibbiani also called Reagan an "embarrassing presidential biopic [that] treats Dennis Quaid's POTUS as the second coming."
Dennis Quaid's 'Reagan' Transcends Politics Amid Box Office Success and Critical Divide
However, Quaid has brushed off concerns that portraying the Republican president would get him "canceled." "It's a biopic. It's a love story. It's about all of us as America, where we used to be," Quaid told Fox News Digital in August. "A lot of that gets twisted because people have agendas. And so, yeah, they tried to cancel me a couple of times, but so what?"
Reagan may have been a divisive figure to some on the left, Quaid said, but the film about his life is not "political." "When Reagan was president as well, you know, they called him a warmonger. But this is the guy who ended the Cold War, by the way, and made peace with the Soviets. But it took a cold warrior like that. … And they called him a third-rate actor, this and that," Quaid said.
Dennis Quaid's 'Reagan' Transcends Politics Amid Box Office Success and Critical Divide
"Reagan was like everybody's dad at the time that he was president," he continued. "And, like all families, that's either you admire your dad or you’re rebelling against your dad. And there's a lot of those feelings still hold on. That's what we were going through with politics or whatever in this country today, a lot of people wanting to kind of relate that to Reagan and make this a political movie, which it’s not."
"Reagan" was directed by Sean McNamara, produced by Mark Joseph, and also stars Penelope Ann Miller and Jon Voight.
Despite the critical divide, "Reagan" has resonated with many audiences who see it as a nostalgic look back at a simpler time in American history. Quaid's performance has also been praised for capturing the essence of Reagan's personality and leadership style.
Only time will tell whether "Reagan" will be remembered as a defining film about the 40th U.S. president or as simply a partisan piece of propaganda. However, there is no doubt that the film has sparked a national conversation about Reagan's legacy and the role of politics in American life.
