“It’s morning in America.”

It’s back to the ‘80s.

Whatever your politics, the movie, “Reagan,” is worth your vote at the box office.

It’s worth seeing for the performance alone of Dennis Quaid as United States President Ronald Reagan.

The biopic sketches Reagan’s life from childhood, to radio sports broadcaster to Hollywood movie actor to Screen Actors Guild union leader to governor of California to two-term U.S. president as 40th president 1981-1989.

The movie glosses over many of the criticisms of Reagan, including his naming names of suspected Communists before the House Un-American Activities Committee and, as president, his firing of air traffic controllers during a strike, his handling of the AIDS crisis during the 1980s and the Iran-Contra affair.

The movie emphasizes many of the triumphs of Reagan, including his nuclear arms limitations negotiations with the Soviet Union, his demand, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!,” at the Berlin Wall, his survival of an assassination attempt and his coping with Alzheimer’s.

The Reagan Era, Reagonomics, the Teflon President, the Great Communicator, the new Conservative Movement: It’s all here to a greater or lesser degree, burnished in a warm glow as if from Reagan’s 1984 “Morning in America” TV re-election campaign commercial.

At the center of the movie “Reagan” is the depiction of a sweet love story in his marriage to Nancy Reagan (Penelope Ann Miller).

“Reagan” is directed by Sean McNamara (Director, “On a Wing and a Prayer,” 2023) from a screenplay by Howard Klausner (“God’s Not Dead: A Light in Darkness,” 2018) based on the book, “The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism” (2006) by Paul Kengor.

Dennis Quaid (“I Can Only Imagine,” 2018; “Jerry Lee Lewis: Great Balls of Fire,” 1989; “The Right Stuff,” 1983; “Breaking Away,” 1979 ) is extraordinary as President Ronald Reagan.

Quaid replicates Reagan’s gravelly soft voice and facial expressions, including slight tilt of the head, ruminative mouth movements and twinkling eyes. Quaid’s portrayal is uncanny, realistic and remarkable. Quaid is deserving of an Oscar actor nomination for the role.

Penelope Ann Miller is sunny, vibrant and believable as Nancy Reagan.

The movie’s supporting cast includes Jon Voight (Oscar, actor, “Coming Home,” 1979) in a memorable role as a retired Soviet Union KGB agent; Mena Suvari (Jane Wyman), Aleksander Krupa (Mikhail Gorbachev), Robert Davi (Leonid Brezhnev), Lesley-Anne Down (Margaret Thatcher), C. Thomas Howell (Caspar Weinberger) and Kevin Dillon (Jack L. Warner).

“Reagan” is a feel-good movie that is of chief interest to devotees of Ronald Reagan, fans of Dennis Quaid and for those who long for a time when the office of POTUS was still presidential.

“Reagan,” MPAA Rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13.) for violent content and smoking; Genre: Biography, Drama, History; Run time: 2 hours, 21 minutes. Distributed by Showbiz Direct.

Credit Readers Anonymous: “Reagan” movie end credits include archival photos and footage, including Reagan’s funeral procession in 2004. At the very end is an image of a letter from a young person to Reagan and a voice-over reading of the letter. The soundtrack includes Bob Dylan singing Cole Porter’s “Don’t Fence Me In” and Clint Black singing John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Filming took place in Oklahoma and on the Reagan Ranch, Santa Monica, Calif., in 2018 and 2020.

At The Movies: “Reagan” was seen in the standard format at AMC Center Valley 16.

Theatrical Movie Domestic Weekend Box Office, Sept. 20-22: “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” made it a three-peat, but don’t say it three times, with $26 million in 4,172 theaters, $226.8 million, three weeks, edging out “Transformers One,” the animation feature film about the toy robots, opening, $25 million in 3,978 theaters.

3. “Speak No Evil” dropped one place, $5.9 million in 3,375 theaters, $21.4 million, two weeks. 4. “Never Let Go,” starring Halle Berry in the Horror Thriller, $4.5 million in 2,667 theaters, opening. 5. “Deadpool & Wolverine” dropped two places, $3.9 million in 2,450 theaters, $627.2 million, nine weeks. 6. “The Substance,” starring Demi Moore in the Horror film, $3.1 million in 1,949 theaters, opening. 7. “Am I Racist?” dropped three places, $2.5 million in 1,600 theaters, $9 million, two weeks. 8. “Reagan” dropped three places, $1.6 million in 1,850 theaters, $26.5 million, four weeks. 9. “Jung Kook: I Am Still,” a documentary about the South Korean singer-songwriter, $1.4 million, $2.5 million since Sept. 18 opening. 10. “Alien: Romulus” dropped three places, $1.3 million in 1,350 theaters, $103.6 million, six weeks.

Movie box office information from Box Office Mojo as of Sept. 22 is subject to change.

Unreel, Sept 26:

“One Hand Clapping,” No MPAA Rating,” PG: David Litchfield directs the rockumentary about Paul McCartney and Wings recorded live in Abbey Road Studios in 1974, featuring performances of “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Jet” and “Live and Let Die.”

Unreel, Sept. 27:

“The Wild Robot,” PG: Chris Sanders directs the voice talents of Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Bill Nighy, Ving Rhames, Mark Hamill and Catherine O’Hara and the animation in the Adventure film. A robot named Roz befriends wildlife on an uninhabited island.

“Megalopolis,” R: Francis Ford Coppola directs Adam Driver, Nathalie Emmanuel, Shia LaBeouf, Laurence Fishburne, Jason Schwartzman, Giancarlo Esposito, Aubrey Plaza, Jon Voight and Talia Shire in the Science-Fiction Epic. A political power struggle unfolds in the city of Rome of the future.

“Lee,” R: Ellen Kuras directs Kate Winslet, Andy Samberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Andrea Riseborough and Marion Cotillard in the Biography History Drama. American photographer Lee Miller was a fashion model who became an acclaimed World War II photographer.

“Empire Waist,” PG-13: Claire Ayoub directs Rainn Wilson, Mia Kaplan, Jemima Yevu, Jolene Purdy and Missi Pyle in the Drama Comedy. Teens learn to be body positive.

Movie opening date information from Internt Movie Database as of Sept. 22 is subject to change.

Three Popcorn Boxes out of Five Popcorn Boxes