A Review of the Movie Trump's Legal Team Didn't Want You to See
What is 'The Apprentice" and who exactly is it for?
“This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked.” - Trump Campaign spokesperson Seven Cheung
Director Ali Abbasi debuted his controversial movie, The Apprentice, back in May during the Cannes Film Festival. For his part, Abbasi has said, “But I don’t necessarily think that this is a movie he would dislike,” when it comes to Trump objecting to the material within. While the movie shows some of Trump’s negative traits, it also shows him doing a whole lot of winning. That’s something that might be in Trump’s wheelhouse.
The controversy is the reason to see The Apprentice, but is the movie Abbasi entertaining enough to stand on its own?
The Apprentice chronicles the rise of Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan) and his relationship with New York attorney Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong). While it hints at Trump’s political future, this story is concerned with the rise of Trump during the 1980s– the development of Trump Tower, his relationship with model Ivana Zelnickova (Maria Bakalova), and his professional relationship with Cohn.
Abbasi’s film doesn’t have any grand political statement to make– this is a pretty straightforward movie about how Trump developed his media empire in the ‘80s. Big daddy Fred Trump is hard on his boys, while Cohn sees an opportunity to control Donald. Flexing his political power and influence, Cohn makes things happen for Trump that would otherwise be impossible. He teaches Trump some rules to live by– 1. Always attack 2. Admit nothing, deny everything 3. And no matter what happens, always claim victory and never admit defeat. That mantra will be familiar to anyone who remembers January, 6th.
As I mentioned upfront, Trump does a lot of winning in The Apprentice. He gets his hotel built exactly like he envisioned, he gets the woman he wants, and shows his superiority to his father. What else could he ask for? The other side of The Apprentice shows how he became a monster– raping his wife, getting liposuction, and destroying everyone who has ever been on his side.
If you’ve watched any variety show in the last eight years, there’s a good chance you’ve seen a performance of Donald Trump (probably the most notable are Phil Hartman and Alec Baldwin). For The Apprentice, Sebastian Stan takes a turn as “The Donald” and nails it. While the script makes sure to feed Stan familiar lines from Trump, his performance stays away from parody. This might be surprising for audiences who are only familiar with Stan from his Marvel performances, but he’s been putting together quality work for years. In addition to his work here, Stan was fantastic in the Pam & Tommy series and won an award for his performance for A Different Man, in Berlin.
Unsurprisingly, Jeremy Strong is great playing Cohn. While The Apprentice might seem very similar to Succession, an actor like Strong is able to disappear into his performances. Cohn is self-assured and capable of getting things done. As he succumbs to the AIDS virus, Strong’s Cohn begins to feel remorse, not only because his time is shortened due to his illness, but seemingly for his part in creating the Trump empire.
That’s all well and good, but who exactly is this movie for? I don’t think Liberals or Conservatives will be all that happy with how neutral The Apprentice is. That’s a shame because Stan and Strong do an admirable job portraying the former President and the disbarred attorney. No matter how decent the movie might be, it's impossible to be neutral when it comes to Donald Trump. [B-]