Postliberal Perspectives on the Reagan Movie

Modern conservative criticism of Reagan is like shadow boxing with a ghost — it does very little and gets you nowhere.

Ronald Reagan — a name synonymous with American conservatism only eclipsed by Donald Trump. Yet, the two men are more similar than what meets the eye: both political outsiders and entertainers thrust into politics by circumstance rather than naked ambition. 

The Reagan movie, starring Dennis Quaid as the titular character, was perfect for what it is, or more importantly, its audience. It is great 1980s, Cold War nostalgia — you can really feel it throughout the film. This is not a flic that is going to be hailed for its great plot, but rather, the ambience it creates. While watching this movie, I saw the middle-aged people in the audience absolutely elated at the feelings of reliving the era in which they came of age.

This movie was not for me, nor was it for critics. This movie was made to reward middle-aged conservatives who want to remember a time when they were immensely proud of this country. It was a time when politics made more sense, when right and left didn’t mean life or death; when you and your neighbor may have had disagreements on tax policy, but you had similar moral values; when there was still a universal agreed upon truth between people — even though it was decaying behind the scenes.

The film is really a movie of scenes, often which only serve to give Reagan the opportunity to say one of his famous quips. This is most on display when Reagan makes his famous speech at the Berlin wall. The scene immediately after depicts the fall of communism and the end of the Soviet Union. There can be no doubt that Reagan was a great man of history. However, he movie paints a picture that makes it look like Reagan ended communism with a single speech, without mention of the intervening three years before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

As a young man, the movie is enjoyable, but you have to keep in mind that it was not made for you. This is understandable. The movie is an American dream story — it transports its older viewers to a time when America, simply, was not the way it is now. We should be keenly aware of that fact.

Modern conservative criticism of Reagan is like shadow boxing with a ghost — it does very little and gets you nowhere. Reagan was not perfect, especially considering that he signed off on amnesty for illegal immigrants while governor of California. That said, he was a product of his time. He fulfilled his purpose, which was to fight global communism and to fix the lagging American economy. For that alone, he is a hero.

It is not fair to judge him by the issues today, nor is it anything but being edgy to bother your uncle who, like millions of Americans, became a conservative because of Reagan. Today, Trump is our champion. Back then, it was Reagan. He was the defining part of the original conservative revolution in America and followed through on many of those promises. In short, just let Gen X enjoy their movie and maybe you will get something out of it, too.

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