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What was the GOP so worked up about? I thought it was a rather sympathetic portrayal. Judy Davis really showed how scared Nancy was that Ronnie wouldn't want to marry her after she got pregnant, and that she'd have to face her fanatical moralistic father's wrath. Even the little details, like the awkwardness when she was trying to get to know Reagan's kids, involuntarily reminded me of something I experienced myself once and had almost forgotten. And I'd have liked James Brolin's performance even if he weren't supporting the Dems!
I think the mark of a good dramatization is being able to get the message across even if the viewer doesn't particularly admire the subjects and wasn't interested in their lives ... and likewise, being able to reveal negative things about someone who is widely admired without trashing the character. I was sitting there, amazed that I was watching a movie about Reagan all the way through. The writing and direction were better than for the Bush 9/11 movie (which was supposedly pro-Bush but didn't make him seem that good).
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