Book Review: Make My Day

Book Review: Make My Day by J. Hoberman

Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) was the first president of the United States to have been a movie star. Motion pictures that he’d worked in and that he saw certainly affected his politics, and his politics affected the movies that came out during his time in office. This volume examines the intersection of film and politics in America between 1976 (Reagan’s first run for president) and 1988 (his last full year in office.)

The author was a movie and cultural columnist in the Village Voice newspaper for many years, and has written two previous books on the intersection of movie culture and political culture in previous time periods. He quotes columns he wrote about Reagan at the time extensively.

It’s pretty obvious from the outset that the author was and is not a big President Reagan fan. The emphasis is on Ronnie’s skill at projecting an image of “normal guy you can trust, but tough on the inside”, and believing what he said even when it was at odds with observable reality.

The writer also makes it clear that many of the movies he’s discussing are not his favorites from that time period, but rather those that were most influential or that reflected the times best. Lots of summer blockbusters in here!

The first full chapter compares and contrasts Nashville and Jaws from 1975, and how each reflected the political climate at the time, whether overtly or as subtext. In the runup to the Bicentennial election, America thought it was thirsting for moral rectitude in its leaders, so Jimmy Carter was narrowly elected.

But it turned out that the ability to make the American people feel like they were in the right worked better than trying to steer a course based on moral principles, so Reagan came in four years later.

This was a time of Rocky and Rambo and Terminator and a bit of Dirty Harry, as well as Star Wars, feeding the president lines he could use to describe his policies and actions in Hollywood terms.

I found this book to be a nostalgic blast, even if my personal circumstances during that decade-plus weren’t the best. The author makes good points and brings up some interesting films. I suspect, however, that this book will resonate more strongly with those who were and are critical of the Reagan administration and its policies and aftereffects. (Including the very disappointing remake in the 2010s.) Unabashed President Reagan fans will find less here to enjoy.

I could have done with some more digging into the AIDS crisis and the Bork fiasco, but perhaps those didn’t have (at the time) the right movie counterpart to grapple with.

Overall, a good overview of the time period from a film culture perspective. Recommended to those who want to learn more about the intersection of Hollywood and politics.

And now, a movie trailer with Ronald Reagan and Shirley Temple.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway for the purpose of writing this review. No other compensation was requested or offered.