The Apprentice
Where to Watch: Theaters
Directed By:
Ali Abbasi
Written By:
Gabriel Sherman
Starring:
Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova
Genre:
Biography, Drama
Rated R
All media courtesy of Barcliff Entertainment
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Sebastian Stan dawns the Donald Trump persona in this look back at what made him the polarizing figure we see today. His mentor, an incredibly powerful lawyer Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) takes a young Donald Trump under his wings and gives him his philosophy on life, business, and “winning”.
‘The Apprentice’ is a cautionary tale, a reminder of who Donald Trump is, and how he treats those around him. The big question I had when leaving the theater was if this would reach the right audience, especially when the news cycle has kept him in our heads for almost a decade. While I can say this is a powerful movie with strong performances from both Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong, has media fatigue made the interest in seeing a film based on Donald Trump non-existent?
For the technical side, I liked the documentary-style filmmaking with handheld camerawork. It helps to push through the facade and gives the moments a feeling of raw vulnerability. The 80s aesthetic looks great, and seeing the state of New York City from before Trump started building is interesting.
While I applaud the performances it is hard to envision Sebastian Stan as Trump. It was smart of him not to try to perform an impression, but blend himself into Trump so that it doesn’t feel like an SNL sketch. Maria Bakalova who plays Trump’s first wife, Ivana, delivers a solid dramatic performance. Jeremy Strong is the strongest here as ruthless Roy Cohn. You can feel that almost every bad quality in Trump stemmed from his mentorship with Cohn, and Jeremy Stong is able to be both a despicable person but in the end, you can sympathize with him.
Overall, I just don’t know who is excited to see this, or who the audience is for. Yes, it is a good film, but I’ll leave it up to each moviegoer to decide if this is worth their time. But for me, it’s a See It.
See It or Skip it? See It
Note: See It or Skip It is proudly owned and produced by Patrick Beatty. ABC4 is a broadcast partner, but the show, its content, and opinions are independently created.
See It or Skip It 