THE APPRENTICE – Review by T.J. Callahan
The Apprentice: “I am not a crook.”
Long before real estate mogul Donald Trump hired wannabe business executives to be his protégés on a reality television show, there was a rude and remorseless, pompous and pandering New York lawyer named Roy Cohn who brought a young Trump into his legal laboratory and groomed him in his image. This transformation is the basis of the biographical film The Apprentice.
There is a disclaimer at the beginning of the 2 hour drama that says some details and events
depicted are fictionalized, but that may not be enough for current Presidential candidate Donald Trump and his entourage. Lawsuits have been threatened and after premiering at Cannes in May, The Apprentice struggled to find a distributor. Briarcliff Entertainment finally struck a deal to release the movie that was written by journalist Gabriel Sherman and directed by Ali Abbasi.
Sebastian Stan, Marvel Comics Winter Soldier, stars as Trump in this entrepreneurial origin story of the powerhouse property procurer. Stan truly captures The Donald in mannerisms and voice and even gained 15 pounds. He’s the browbeaten son from Queens trying to step out from behind his father and overshadow him. Stan goes from a sympathetic, naive sponge who absorbed every trick Cohn had up his sleeve to a major Manhattan player living the lawyer’s mantra, “ no matter how bad it is, never admit defeat”.
Jeremy Strong, the arrogant Kendall Roy from HBO’s Succession, is playing another ruthless
Roy in Cohn. He knows the drill and seems to relish each line as a kind of Dr. Frankenstein
preparing his monster to be set free into 1970’s and 80’s New York City. You’ll recognize Maria
Bakalova, as Ivana Trump, from her Academy Award nominated role in Borat. Martin Donovan
is unrecognizable as Fred Trump.
As we head to the November elections, The Apprentice could be the most controversial film of
the fall. We see the former and possibly next President of the United States popping “energy”
pills, being aggressive sexually with his wife, and getting liposuction and scalp reduction
surgery. It’s certainly not flattering, but I personally don’t think this depiction will change any
voter’s minds…unless Oscar voters choose Stan and Strong as their top actors for 2025? They
are that good.
The Apprentice could have veered off from a character study to a caricature spoof, but it
doesn’t. Unlike Trump’s relentless pursuit of perfection, this film is simply an interesting fly on
the wall look at the lifestyles of the rich and soon to be famous…whether you believe it or not.
The Apprentice rates a 7 on the TeejFlixometer.
