A Tale of Two Men

Ronald Reagan and Pope St. John Paul II

“A Tale of Two Men”

A Review of The Divine Plan by Nick Olszyk

MPAA Rating, Unrated at the time of this review

USCCB Rating, Unrated at the time of this review

Reel Rating, Two Reels            

“Be not afraid of greatness.

Some are born great, 

some achieve greatness,

and some have greatness thrust upon them.

Thy Fates open their hands;

let thy blood and spirit embrace them.”

Twelfth Night

            This famous adage from the Bard could apply to many in the history of the world, but The Divine Plan suggests it speaks of two individuals who were selected by God for a unique purpose at a specific time and place. While Pope St. John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan were different in many aspects, they shared a common anthropology (all men deserve freedom and dignity) and cosmology (God orders the Universe). It makes a good case, albeit with some serious rookie mistakes, that they were the driving forces that brought down Soviet Communism. It is unknown whether these men believed that they were put on this Earth for that purpose, but that they believed they had a purpose, and indeed all men do, is unmistakable.

            The documentary follows the lives of the Pope and the President chronologically, and the comparisons between the two become quickly apparent. Both had rough childhoods filled with sadness. Reagan’s father was an undependable alcoholic while young Karol would lose every immediate family member by age twenty. Both began their lives as actors who understood the value of performance art then transitioned into worldwide leaderships roles. Probably the oddest coincidence was that both narrowly survived assassination attempts only weeks apart. They finally met in Vatican City during 1982 and stuck a friendship that would last a lifetime. Both recognized the roles they could play in bringing freedom to Soviet dominated Eastern Europe: the Pope through spiritual intercession and moral example, the President through political diplomacy.

            The title suggests that all this was a “divine plan,” that those individuals were predestined through their personalities and experiences to play this role. One person who would disagree would be another key player Margaret Thatcher, whose traditional Methodist background saw such ideas as “arrogant.” Regan’s evangelical Christianity and JPII’s Catholicism, however, were more amicable to this concept. As an example, JPII’s assassination attempt occurred on the anniversary of the Fatima apparitions. He credited Mary with his survival and donated the bullet to the Shrine of Our Lady in Fatima. It is impossible to know for certain God’s designs, but the Bible clearly demonstrates that God does work through the actions of human beings, both kings and peasants alike. When we align ourselves with God’s will, miraculous things can happen, even if we are not always aware at the time.

            The Divine Plan is an intriguing look at the overlooked intersection of divine inspiration and historical drama, which is a pity considering its poor execution. What should have been a thirty-minute short subject was artificially stretched out to a ninety minute feature. The film has some amazing illustrations and graphics of historical events, but the same images are used on such a frequent basis that they become a running joke. One image of Brezhev pounding a desk surrounded by KGB officers is used nearly seven times in the span of fifteen minutes. When not employing comic style illustrations to tell the story, the documentary is just a series of talking heads that will be familiar to any CWR reader such as Bishop Barron, George Weigel, and John O’Sullivan. Their interviews are insightful but often distracted by painfully obvious errors including misuse of green screen effects and odd camera decisions. Frankly, there are better quality YouTube videos, and this effort may have been better suited to that format.

            The Divine Plan tells a fascinating narrative. Yet, largely due to the lackluster quality of the filmmaking, it would be difficult to imagine anyone becoming interested in the topic as a result of this viewing. However, if one is already invested in JPII, Ronald Reagan, or the fight between Christianity and worldwide Communism, the film will do the job. It’s a sad fact that the truth is often ignored if put in the hands of ineffective messengers. It’s a good thing it landed in the laps of two former actors who were placed by God on a much bigger stage.