The Apprentice

The Apprentice Movie Review Rating:

Star Cast: Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, Emily Mitchell, Martin Donovan, and Patch Darragh.

Director: Ali Abbasi

What’s Good: Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong deliver some of the best acting in 2024, and they alone are worth the ticket price.

What’s Bad: At many points throughout the film, everything feels too conventional, dulling many parts. The director lacked confidence in making the film exciting from a visual point of view.

Loo Break: The second act feels dense in a way that might be too much for audiences and not worthy, so there is the chance to go to the loo.

Watch or Not?: The Apprentice should be watched if you’re a fan of the two main actors or if you want to know Trump’s origins.

Language: English (with subtitles).

Available On: Theaters

Runtime: 123 Minutes.

User Rating:

Opening:
The figure of former president Donald Trump is one of legends; the man was famous for being famous way before that was even a thing with influencers nowadays, using his money to make him a character and an icon of the American way of life, but also, like with everything there are dark sides, secrets, and obscure origins that this movie, The Apprentice, tries to bring some light to, creating a very entertaining film, that lacks visual flair but balances things out with impressive performances.

The Apprentice Movie Review: Script Analysis

The Apprentice, a reference to the reality show that Trump himself hosted for many, many years, is an extraordinary film, a sort of biopic that sees itself as relevant because, in real life, Donald Trump is running for a second term as President of the United States of America, in a race that will define the future of that country more than any other in the last couple of decades, and so the film arrives at the right, and it knows it very well.

The result is a film that feels divided into two parts, two sides of the same coin, and so, on the one hand, we have a bizarre, funny, and often cute romantic comedy where we see the characters of Trump and Cohn falling in love with each other and getting into each other lives, so much that they become dirt and nail, too much of the same person in each other.

The other side of the film is a horror movie in which we see the characters descend into madness, sacrificing all their morals and values in the name of success. It is terrifying, mainly because they have so much power, and their influence extends beyond their circle of friends and family and into the public. This horror side of the movie is also very effective, and in many ways, it is the best part of the entire film.

Of course, this approach to the story of Trump and Cohn will raise eyebrows and be offensive for some people, and the film knows this, making some comments here and there about the type of reaction these two men generate in people.

The Apprentice Movie Review: Star Performance

The best thing about The Apprentice is the performances, every single member of the acting team is doing their best, but of course, Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong are just too good, and you might wonder, how do they do it? What is the secret? Sebastian Stan especially makes for a great Trump, and his bravery in taking on the role is enough to deserve respect. He keeps proving he is just the best artist and actor coming out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, going against type every single time, working on many films that are way different from anything Marvel does.

On the other hand, Jeremy Strong comes fresh out of his tenure in Succession, and he keeps impressing with a performance that goes beyond simply acting. He embodies the character of Roy Cohn, and because Cohn is relatively unknown compared to Trump, Strong has a lot more freedom in creating the character and making choices about how people will see him and judge him throughout the film.