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Patti Davis, Ronald Reagan’s daughter, pens open letter to Will Ferrell
The Washington Times ^ | April 28, 2016 | Jessica Chasmar

Posted on 04/28/2016 4:04:58 PM PDT by jazusamo

Patti Davis, daughter of late President Ronald Reagan and Nancy Reagan, penned an open letter Thursday to Will Ferrell, criticizing the actor for agreeing to play the 40th president in an upcoming satirical film about his battle with dementia.

“I saw the news bulletin — as did everyone — that you intend to portray my father in the throes of Alzheimer’s for a comedy that you are also producing,” Ms. Davis, a former actress, wrote in her blog. “Perhaps you have managed to retain some ignorance about Alzheimer’s and other versions of dementia. Perhaps if you knew more, you would not find the subject humorous.

“Alzheimer’s doesn’t care if you are President of the United States or a dockworker. It steals what is most precious to a human being — memories, connections, the familiar landmarks of a lifetime that we all come to rely on to hold our place secure in this world and keep us linked to those we have come to know and love,” she continued. “I watched as fear invaded my father’s eyes — this man who was never afraid of anything. I heard his voice tremble as he stood in the living room and said, ‘I don’t know where I am.’ I watched helplessly as he reached for memories, for words, that were suddenly out of reach and moving farther away. For ten long years he drifted — past the memories that marked his life, past all that was familiar…and mercifully, finally past the fear. There was laughter in those years, but there was never humor.”

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: alzheimers; dementia; hollywood; movie; pattidavis; reagan; ronaldreagan; willferrell
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To: PATRIOT1876

I sure hope so and also hope the movie bombs.


41 posted on 04/28/2016 4:46:40 PM PDT by jazusamo (Have YOU Donated to Free Republic? https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: jazusamo

Can’t believe it - even of Hollywood. Alzheimers for laughs? I recall being introduced to a woman in her 80s. 10 minutes into the conversation about how grueling it was for her to physically and emotionally deal with her husband’s Alzheimers, she said quietly “I just want to kill myself.” Yeah, that’s what I thought of when I read about Will’s movie idea.
PS: I urged the woman to join a support group - she’d been toughing it out on her own and it’s too much, a person needs support.


42 posted on 04/28/2016 4:53:01 PM PDT by ransomnote
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To: jazusamo

Why all the criticism of Will Ferrell? What about the writers of the script? The production company that thinks it is a good idea to make such a movie?

Really. Will Ferrell is an idiot for taking the part, but the real jerks are those who came up with the idea in the first place.


43 posted on 04/28/2016 4:53:24 PM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: jazusamo

44 posted on 04/28/2016 4:53:47 PM PDT by Donglalinger
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To: jazusamo

“Alzheimer’s doesn’t care if you are President of the United States or a dockworker. It steals what is most precious to a human being — memories, connections, the familiar landmarks of a lifetime that we all come to rely on to hold our place secure in this world and keep us linked to those we have come to know and love,” she continued. “I watched as fear invaded my father’s eyes — this man who was never afraid of anything. I heard his voice tremble as he stood in the living room and said, ‘I don’t know where I am.’ I watched helplessly as he reached for memories, for words, that were suddenly out of reach and moving farther away. For ten long years he drifted — past the memories that marked his life, past all that was familiar…and mercifully, finally past the fear. There was laughter in those years, but there was never humor.”


Wow, that is well and poignantly put.


45 posted on 04/28/2016 4:53:58 PM PDT by Yardstick
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To: exDemMom

Ferrell is also the producer of the movie.


46 posted on 04/28/2016 4:55:51 PM PDT by jazusamo (Have YOU Donated to Free Republic? https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: jazusamo

My Dad died from Alzheimer’s Dec 15,2015. I concur.


47 posted on 04/28/2016 4:56:22 PM PDT by BulletBobCo
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To: jazusamo

from Wikipedia:

“The term suspension of disbelief or willing suspension of disbelief has been defined as a willingness to suspend one’s critical faculties and believe the unbelievable; sacrifice of realism and logic for the sake of enjoyment.[1] The term was coined in 1817 by the poet and aesthetic philosopher Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who suggested that if a writer could infuse a “human interest and a semblance of truth” into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend judgment concerning the implausibility of the narrative. Suspension of disbelief often applies to fictional works of the action, comedy, fantasy, and horror genres.”

That concept is why this movie is destined to fail.

No art or craft will ever successfully portray cursing the deaf behind their back or putting stumbling blocks in the path of the blind as entertainment.


48 posted on 04/28/2016 4:56:37 PM PDT by odawg
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To: Yardstick

Absolutely!


49 posted on 04/28/2016 4:57:26 PM PDT by jazusamo (Have YOU Donated to Free Republic? https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: jazusamo

Did he write it, too?


50 posted on 04/28/2016 5:06:26 PM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: exDemMom

Get real, Ferrell is producing and playing the part and you’re defending him because he didn’t write it?

Writers are a dime a dozen, just check the paper backs sometime.


51 posted on 04/28/2016 5:09:52 PM PDT by jazusamo (Have YOU Donated to Free Republic? https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: jazusamo

My mother-in-law’s mother died of it.

There is nothing funny about it.


52 posted on 04/28/2016 5:14:26 PM PDT by DuncanWaring (The Lord uses the good ones; the bad ones use the Lord.)
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To: jazusamo

So when will we see a humor filled portrayal of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr? I hear James Earl Ray was hilarious.


53 posted on 04/28/2016 5:14:54 PM PDT by Brooklyn Attitude (It's the apocalypse, lets have some fun!)
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To: jazusamo

No, not defending him because he didn’t write it. The very fact that he would take such a part or think such a movie is worth filming does not say good things about his character.

But the original idea still belongs to a writer—someone who clearly has the empathy of a brick, and may have some sort of personality disorder.


54 posted on 04/28/2016 5:16:17 PM PDT by exDemMom (Current visual of the hole the US continues to dig itself into: http://www.usdebtclock.org/)
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To: Jolla

Indeed


55 posted on 04/28/2016 5:17:46 PM PDT by Nifster (I see puppy dogs in the clouds)
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To: exDemMom

Okay, sorry. Didn’t mean to lash out at you, am a bit emotional about this because the wife and I are now dealing with this with my MIL. I understand what you’re saying.


56 posted on 04/28/2016 5:22:50 PM PDT by jazusamo (Have YOU Donated to Free Republic? https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/)
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To: digger48

With elderly women, they often do not have the symptoms that younger women have & they can go undiagnosed until the UTI is so bad that it literally puts them out of their mind. The nephew caregiver of one elderly woman (roommate of a friend) always knew when she had a UTI because she would become irrational, delusional ... generally just off her rocker. An 80+ woman for whom I was a caretaker would be without symptoms except she would complain her fingernails hurt (weird, I know). We would insist the nurses test for a UTI & she was right every time & fortunately, she never got to the point of it affecting her mind. Bottom line, UTIs aren’t good for anyone, but they can be quite dangerous for the elderly, men & women.


57 posted on 04/28/2016 5:24:24 PM PDT by Qiviut (In Islam you have to die for Allah. The God I worship died for me. [Franklin Graham])
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To: jazusamo
If anyone wants a dose of reality then watch the documentary “I'll Be Me” about Glen Campbell and his battle with alzeimers.
58 posted on 04/28/2016 5:25:02 PM PDT by WyCoKsRepublican
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To: digger48

Also old age onset hydrocephaly. If you have an elder friend or relative with memory issues, urinary incontinence, and a shuffling gait - it’s worth checking out.

https://www.dementia.org/normal-pressure-hydrocephalus

http://www.aans.org/Patient%20Information/Conditions%20and%20Treatments/Adult%20Onset%20Hydrocephalus.aspx


59 posted on 04/28/2016 5:25:14 PM PDT by vrwconspiracist (The Tax Man cometh)
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To: jazusamo

Will Ferrell has never been funny to me which doesn’t really mean anything to the conversation. Just thought I’d opine.


60 posted on 04/28/2016 5:28:16 PM PDT by WyCoKsRepublican
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