66
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 83The PlaylistChris BarsantiThe PlaylistChris BarsantiSatirically tart throughout, The Reagan Show is still a schizoid experience. It mostly wants to dissect the Reaganites’ bread and circuses tactics, but also to present a thumbnail history of his presidency. Both are credibly delivered, but they don’t always necessarily mesh.
- 83The A.V. ClubNoel MurrayThe A.V. ClubNoel MurrayIt’s an approach that works well when the audience enjoys the company of this person who’s become a permanent fixture on their TV. But it’s also one that enrages opposing voters, who can only ever see the maddening fakery.
- 80The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeA documentary composed entirely of vintage source material, letting the era speak for itself and the "Great Communicator" show, oddly, both more and less of himself than intended.
- 80Screen DailyFionnuala HalliganScreen DailyFionnuala HalliganAlthough this doc is slender, it’s also fascinating, playing into nostalgia and current-day politics in equal measure.
- 80Time OutJoshua RothkopfTime OutJoshua RothkopfAn oblique history of ’80s disarmament laden with revealing off-camera asides, The Reagan Show makes the glossy surface profound. It’s the most crucial and unique doc of the moment, apart from the one that’s unfolding on the news every night.
- 80By letting the past speak for itself, The Reagan Show stays both sober and light on its feet.
- 75Slant MagazinePeter GoldbergSlant MagazinePeter GoldbergThe documentary is an insightful portrait of the former American president and the world that he shaped.
- 70Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleLos Angeles TimesRobert AbeleAs a brisk, sobering reminder of — if you’re inclined to think this way — where it all went wrong with image over meaningful policy in politics, The Reagan Show may feel like the doc of the moment.
- 50The New York TimesA.O. ScottThe New York TimesA.O. ScottReagan’s legacy remains a live and contentious issue. His name is still routinely invoked, on the left and the right, with reverence and rage. The Reagan Show helps attach a face to the name, but it doesn’t accomplish much more than that.
- 40Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlVillage VoiceAlan ScherstuhlRather than reveal a showman, The Reagan Show in the end imitates one.