A day before its North American premiere,The Apprenticehasdebuted with an impressive Rotten Tomatoes scoredespite the controversy surrounding theDonald Trumpbiopic. Starring Sebastian Stan as Trump, the movie also features Jeremy Strong as his mentor, Roy Cohn, Maria Bakalova in the role of Ivana Trump, and Martin Donovan playing the patriarch of the family, Fred Trump. The Briarcliff film has been a hot button issue since it was announced in 2018, but things have really heated up recentlydue to its timely release ahead of the 2024 Presidential election.
A look atRotten Tomatoesreveals thatThe Apprenticehasdebuted with a Certified Fresh rating of 80%, with 100 critics chiming in at the time of this writing. Its audience score has yet to be revealed, but given the combustible nature of its subject, it will be interesting to keep an eye on that over the weekendonce the movie has a chance to sit with viewers for a couple of days.
While somemight be looking for a political hit piecethat slams the Trump we’ve all come to know since his rise to the presidency in 2016, it’s best to search elsewhere for something that portrays him as a narcissistic buffoon (his Truth Social account, perhaps?).The Apprenticewill instead aim to shine a spotlight on the early years of the contentious figure, focusing on the 70s and 80s as he rose up through the ranksto become one of New York’s most ruthless real estate moguls.
What Critics Are Saying About The Apprentice
Though Trump himself has yet to comment directly onThe Apprentice, his attorney’ssent a cease and desist letterto everyone involved in the production earlier this year to try and block its release thanks to what they say are a “concoction of lies.” Other members of his campaign have called the movie “garbage,” but there’s a chance that if Ali Abbasi’s film manages to maintain a high approval rating and takes in a respectable amount at the box office this weekend,they’ll perhaps try and paint a different pictureand take credit for the success of others, as Trump and his cohorts have been known to do from time to time.
That being said, critics – no matter their political leaning – have been mostly unanimous in their assessment of the film thus far, with MovieWeb’s own Britt Hayes giving it a 4 out of 5, saying it “captures the essence” of Trump that"transitions from a darkly comedic character study into a deeply unsettling horror film.“Radheyan Simonpillai of The Globe and Mail says there’s “an inviting warmth to the Jedi master-young padawan vibe between Cohn and Trump, one that largely benefits from Strong’s performance,” with Bill Goodykoontz of the Arizona Republic echoing those sentiments, adding"The Apprenticeis well-made, entertaining in its way (particularly for fans of good acting) and not at all surprising.”
Jeremy Strong Defends Playing ‘One of the Worst Humans of the 20th Century’ in Trump Biopic
The Apprentice star Jeremy Strong, who plays the former mentor to Donald Trump, defends playing one of the most despicable people in the 20th century.
While most critics have praised the movie due to the performances of both Stan and Strong, it isn’t all good news forThe Apprentice, as Sean Burns of WBUR’s Arts & Culture called it a"film that sinks into the gaping hollowness at its core,“with Michael Atkinson of LA Weekly adding that it’s"a banal and formulaic biopic trifle, complete with unremarkable historical cameos.”
One thing’s for sure, and that’s thatThe Apprenticewill be hard to ignore this weekend, as it will undoubtedly be the talk of social media and make headlines across the nation as we inch ever closer to one of the most important elections in U.S. history.
The Apprentice
Set during the early years of Trump’s business career, the film focuses on the relationship of Trump and Roy Cohn, a New York City prosecutor known for working with Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Second Red Scare.
