THE APPRENTICE
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Martin Donovan, and Maria Bakalova
Director: Ali Abbasi
QUENTIN
Much like Oliver Stone’s W., The Apprentice offers a surprisingly sympathetic origin story to Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan), showing the evolution from Trump the Man to Trump the Brand. However, with Trump being such a divisive individual, it’s hard to pinpoint how much one’s politics will influence their opinion of the movie because, although it’s not exactly assaultive, it’s definitely not flattering. All that aside, though, the soundtrack, production design, and performances…especially Stan, who nails Trump’s mannerisms without ever falling into an SNL-style impression…are all on point. The quality certainly is there to make it worth your time if you can get past any political blockers.
NICK
It would have been easy for Sebastian Stan to lean into parody as Donald J. Trump, but he instead gives a layered and nuanced performance that evolves throughout The Apprentice. Following the rise of Trump, this is an origin story for everything from his mannerisms to his belief system. You watch as he cosplays through life as an adult to become the man he is today. Not to be outdone, Jeremy Strong carries the early going of the film, and both actors should be firmly in the awards conversation. I didn’t need more Trump, but I can’t deny I found this story rather interesting.
ADRIANO
While I don't think The Apprentice gives us much information on Donald Trump's (Sebastian Stan) psyche that we didn't already know, I don't think that is the full point of the movie. What the movie does offer is a haunting examination of how American pride can lead to an easy-to-game system, which can turn meek upcomers into crooked, narcissistic monsters. Jeremy Strong is excellent, but Stan gives a career-best performance, trading a faux imitation for a scarily accurate, egoless transformation that is uncanny at times. Although some of the story beats could've been fleshed out more, I dug this.
AMARÚ
Director Ali Abbasi has The Apprentice feeling as fast and dirty as the deplorable acts we witness from Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) and Donald Trump (Sebastian Stan), and it’s on the backs of those two tremendous actors, plus a striking performance from Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump, that this movie moves. Mirroring the trajectory of Trump’s vexing persona, it meanders at its start, but just as Stan uncannily transforms into the figure we know today, the film commits to a debaucherous pace of ever-building lies, schemes, and deals that filled me with utter disgust. So, it did its job.
KATIE
The Apprentice isn't just a film about Donald Trump. It’s an exploration of the evil facilitated by capitalism, corruption, and pursuit of wealth at all costs. It’s a simplistic view of Trump's life, but, instead of playing a caricature, Sebastian Stan gives a truly impressive performance, effortlessly portraying Trump’s mannerisms and cadence as he slowly twists into the man that everyone knows today, and Jeremy Strong is disturbingly captivating as Trump’s mentor Roy Cohn. There is, however, a distressing scene that didn’t seem in tone with the film, didn’t add anything to the story, and disturbed my immersion since it was so jarring.
PRESTON
The Apprentice is as polarizing as the political atmosphere in which we now find ourselves. It’s one of the most well-done ax-jobs I’ve seen, but with the timing of release and the brutal portrayal (however authentic it may be), it definitely qualifies as an unabashed hit piece. Sebastian Stan (Donald Trump) is awesome, but the real star is Jeremy Strong (Roy Cohn), who takes on the character of the unscrupulous lawyer with screen-commanding presence. The film is overly harsh, depressing in tone, and disturbing at times…AND, it’s also worth a watch (if personal political leanings can be checked).
This film was reviewed by Quentin as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.