A high standard

It’s worth noting that the film ranked last week as the No. 1 movie in America has had a trajectory quite similar to its subject. Ronald Reagan, the son of an alcoholic father from the nowhere town of Dixon, Ill., and with no Ivy League education, went on to become a B movie actor in Hollywood and then the governor of California and eventually president of the United States during a pivotal time in our history. Meanwhile, the movie “Reagan,” released in theaters nationwide over the Labor Day weekend, was filmed on a budget of just $25 million (minuscule by modern standards) with no Hollywood support, but beat out “Deadpool & Wolverine” for the top spot in the nation, having raked in over $9 million in ticket sales the opening weekend. (By comparison the Marvel Deadpool movie was shot on a budget of $200 million with an additional $100 million spent for marketing.)
In addition “Reagan” holds the distinction having the widest ever disparity between critic ratings and average moviegoer ratings on the movie website Rotten Tomatoes. While 53 professional reviewers gave the movie a dismal score of just 21 percent, the public score, known as the “Popcornmeter,” is currently at 98 percent. Audiences love this movie!
Why is it such a hit with average Americans? Perhaps because, as a sympathetic portrayal of the man who led the nation into a time of unparalleled optimism and prosperity and who is one of those credited with winning the Cold War and bringing down the “evil empire” of the Soviet Union (synonymous with Communism), the movie is a powerful reminder of what we once were as a nation and of the kind of stalwart and principled leaders we once accepted as the norm. For those who came of age during the eight years of his presidency there are dozens of poignant reminders throughout the film of Reagan’s worldview, his dedication to first principles, his easy wit and wisdom, his moral integrity, his faith in God, his belief in the power of the free enterprise capitalism and his hatred for totalitarian Marxism. 
Moviegoers are also given a glimpse into Reagan the man and what made him tick. We see the relationships and childhood experiences that shaped and molded him and also his struggles. While his is a sympathetic portrayal of our 40th president, Dennis Quaid’s Reagan is a “warts-and-all” presentation as well, showing the pain of his divorce from actress Jane Wyman, the failures of his acting career and other foibles that display his fallen humanity. In other words, the movie shows Reagan was one of us. 
One of the major takeaways from the film (and one would hope this would happen on a large scale) may be to highlight the wide chasm that separates those leaders of 30 years ago, such as Reagan and Lady Margaret Thatcher, with those who walk on the world stage as our leaders today. In being reminded of Reagan’s sterling moral character, his unflinching resolve in fighting Communism and even his courageous good humor in the face of his own possible death by an assassin’s bullet in 1981, one is struck with the thought that they don’t seem to make leaders like him anymore.  
Our hope would be that as more and more Americans go to see this important film, they will be reminded of what we once were and the kind of leaders we once took for granted as a nation and be moved to hold our current leaders to same the high standards Reagan set. 
- Ron Burtz