The biographical drama boasts a 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes
Dennis Quaid on Ronald Reagan's legacy: 'He left several'
Star of the new film, 'Reagan,' Dennis Quaid, discusses the legacy of the former president, the film's perspective and its audience reception.
"Reagan," the first full-length feature chronicling the life of former President Ronald Reagan, topped Amazon's Best Sellers list after becoming available on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital earlier this month.
The film, which stars Dennis Quaid as the 40th president, was released on Blu-ray on November 19 and immediately rose to the top of Amazon's Best Sellers in Blu-ray charts over the weekend.
A press release for the movie said the show leapfrogged past ‘Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse’, ‘Despicable Me 4’ and ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy set."
I WORKED FOR RONALD REAGAN AND I LOVE HOW LIBERAL CRITICS ARE UPSET ABOUT THE NEW MOVIE
Dennis Quaid plays President Ronald Reagan in the new movie, "REAGAN." ((Noah "Nanea" Hamilton/Rawhide Pictures))
"Reagan" outperformed box office expectations in its opening weekend in September, taking the third spot behind "Deadpool & Wolverine" and "Alien: Romulus."
Despite boasting a 98% score on Rotten Tomatoes, the biographical drama became a target of left-wing outlets who widely panned the film.
The Daily Beast called "Reagan" "the worst movie of the year." Brutal reviews were also published in The Washington Post, Variety, The Wrap and The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the film's opening weekend.
In an interview with Fox News Digital last August, Quaid brushed off concerns that portraying a 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 said. "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."
‘REAGAN’ STAR DENNIS QUAID BRUSHES OFF BEING ‘CANCELED,’ SAYS FACEBOOK CENSORED MOVIE
The film is based on the 40th president. (Getty Images)
"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 remarked.
Elya Baskin, who also stars in the film, described the significance of his casting in an op-ed he penned for Fox News Digital last year.
"When I was offered a role in a picture called "Reagan," I read the script and knew right away that I had to play this role. You see, the role I was asked to play was that of a Soviet citizen by the name of B.E. Kertchman, who, in the 1920s defected to the United States," he wrote.
"When I came to America 45 years ago, I thought that I had landed in paradise. People I met were friendly and generous, and the abundance of goods was mind-blowing. In the Soviet Union, I had to spend hours in lines to buy simple things like toilet paper and I could not speak openly about ideas that were not state approved. In America, I could openly express my opinions on everything without fear of being prosecuted," Baskin continued.
"I always assumed that it would stay like that in America forever. Unfortunately, I was wrong. This new country that I cherished deeply began to change. I started to notice Marxist ideology – discredited countless times around the world – slowly creeping in into different aspects of our lives," he said. "Traditional moral values were being overturned and using simple common sense was becoming anathema to the intellectual elite.
"Today, just as in the Soviet Union, I have to hide my true feelings and am afraid to express them openly. Those basking in their subjective opinion of what is politically and socially correct just now control what I'm allowed to say and will soon dictate what I am permitted to think."
He described the film as possibly the "most important" of his career, characterizing his role in "Reagan" as a "warning."
Yael Halon is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
