The Apprentice is an intriguing character study that works to showcase how Donald Trump became so obsessed with power, and so unhinged.
The Apprentice boasts three incredible lead performances – Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump, Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn, and Maria Bakalova as Ivana Trump. They all know exactly who they are portraying and are unforgettable in their roles. I am not well versed in Trump’s early career, so it is hard to say just how many liberties were taken in this film, but what I found most interesting is his descent into this person we all know today.
Love him or hate him, United States citizens are aware of his mannerisms and how he speaks. Stan’s portrayal does not immediately start out like this, but rather after Strong’s Cohn takes him under his wing, he develops it. The longer we are forced to watch this man, his selfishness, and his unhealthy obsession with power, the more we hate him. As someone who thought it impossible to dislike him even more than I already did, I somehow left this film hating him a smidge more.
He has always made my skin crawl, but taking a deeper look behind the curtain is not only frustrating, it is hard to watch. That said, there are certain moments where they try to portray him in a more positive light or suggest that he is this way because he just wanted to be like the person he looked up to. But that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.
He has always made my skin crawl, but taking a deeper look behind the curtain is not only frustrating, it is hard to watch. That said, there are certain moments where they try to portray him in a more positive light or suggest that he is this way because he just wanted to be like the person he looked up to. But that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow.
The Apprentice is filled with people that viewers are going to hate, which makes it hard to recommend. Many moments are so horrific that you have to look away. Others will have viewers audibly moaning and rolling their eyes. There are even going to be times where you want to watch from behind your fingers, but you simply cannot take your eyes off the screen.
Overall, Sebastian Stan’s portrayal of Donald Trump should be applauded, as should the other performances from the main cast, but it might be too much considering the current state that our country is in. Hopefully this will not cause more tension and division between the left and the right, but if I were a bettering woman, I would guess that it will.
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About The Apprentice
The story of how a young Donald Trump started his real-estate business in 1970s and ’80s New York with the helping hand of infamous lawyer Roy Cohn.
The Apprentice comes to theaters on October 11th.
The Apprentice is an intriguing character study that works to showcase how Donald Trump became so obsessed with power, and so unhinged.
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Tessa Smith is a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer-approved Film and TV Critic. She is also a Freelance Writer. Tessa has been in the Entertainment writing business for ten years and is a member of several Critics Associations including the Critics Choice Association and the Greater Western New York Film Critics Association.