Politics & Government
Will Ferrell's Reagan-with-Dementia Comedy: Offensive, Funny or Both -- A Patch Poll
The comedy superstar will play the ex-president in an upcoming comedy about Reagan's battle with dementia. Is this going too far?
Will Ferrell is no stranger to playing U.S. presidents.
His imitations of George W. Bush on Saturday Night Live are the stuff of legend, so much so that he came back for a reprieve in December to star as Dubya.
Now he has another president to play: Ronald Reagan. But not the charismatic, quick-witted Reagan many Americans remember. Instead, Ferrell's upcoming comedy "Reagan," according to Variety will poke fun at the late president's battle with Alzheimer's and dementia.
Variety describes "Reagan" as so:
Penned by Mike Rosolio, the story begins at the start of the ex-president’s second term when he falls into dementia and an ambitious intern is tasked with convincing the commander in chief that he is an actor playing the president in a movie.
Not exactly a solemn biopic.
It could be another smash comedy hit for Ferrell, who can certainly pull off the part. But not everyone was impressed.
Reagan's son, Michael, though, is deeply offended. On Wednesday, he tweeted the following:
What an Outrag....Alzheimers is not joke...It kills..You should be ashamed all of you. https://t.co/GNzqR5vjrX
— Michael Reagan (@ReaganWorld) April 27, 2016
So what do you think?
Is it insensitive to make light of Reagan's battle with Alzheimer's? Or is a president's life fair game for comic treatment, under any circumstance?
Take our Patch Poll below and let us know.
<a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/9400480/">What do you think of Will Ferrell playing Ronald Reagan in a comedy?</a>
Images via Wikimedia Commons
<a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/9400480/">What do you think of Will Ferrell playing Ronald Reagan in a comedy?</a>
<a href="http://polldaddy.com/poll/9400480/">What do you think of Will Ferrell playing Ronald Reagan in a comedy?</a>
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