Stan & Strong Stand Strong: My Review of Ali Abbasi's THE APPRENTICE

When Sebastian Stan made a comment that he could not get an actor to participate in one of Variety's Actors on Actors with him as they didn't want to discuss The Apprentice or the fact that he was playing Donald Trump, I found it both understandable and frustrating.

On one hand, nothing would please me more than to never have to see or think about or speak about Trump again but as I write this, we are less than a week away from him beginning his second term. However, if a film is going to present him and his life in a relatively honest manner (as much as a film typically succeeds in), I don't see a reason to necessarily knock it. Now, if the film wanted to try to glorify him in a manner that Golda did with Golda Mier, that would be a different story. 

The Apprentice doesn't glorify Trump. It also doesn't present him as a cartoon. Instead, we do get to see glimpses of an inner humanity at times. I wouldn't say it makes us sympathize with him per se, but I found that the film was pretty successful at balancing a time in Trump's life where he wasn't quite as evil as he is today, and I felt very engaged with the story.

I do think a lot of this has to do with the fact we get the diabolical Roy Cohn in the film considering he was a major figure in Trump's life during the 70s and 80s.

That is the time period we are focused on here, which is when Trump managed to supersede his father's status and became a bit of NY celebrity, and eventually, a worldwide celebrity. 

We begin in 1973, which is the year that Fred Trump was being investigated by the Federal Government for the discrimination of African American tenants being able to rent in his buildings. Trump manages to catch the attention of the rather volatile lawyer Roy Cohn, who was most known at this time as being the man who actively sought to prosecute the Rosenbergs during the Communist Blacklist era. 

Cohn offers to help on the case as he has photographic evidence that the prosecutor was seen with a younger cabana boy which causes the case to be settled for a minimal fee, despite the clear discrimination at hand.

With that, Trump and Cohn are now hand-in-hand; a duo that is at once iconic and vile. The next task at hand is Trump seeking to acquire the derelict Commodore Hotel near Grand Central Station, at a time when this area was considered crime-ridden and crumbling (i.e. The 42nd Street/NYC of an era pre-Guiliani). Cohn helps Trump get a $160 tax abatement which becomes a point of outrage for activists, and it all comes from blackmail towards the officials. 

The film also depicts Trump meeting his first wife, Ivana Zelnickova, and how he is obsessed with her at first until the marriage sours only a few years in. We see the gradual descent from Trump to TRUMP as the film progresses, but as I stated before, what Stan accomplishes with his portrayal is rather remarkable. 

Under the hand of Iranian/Danish writer/director Ali Abbasi, Sebastian Stan's Trump is perfect example of performance pitching and pacing. We can see the signs early on that he is playing Trump, but he never attempts to do an impression vocally. What is particularly marvelous here is what he achieves in terms of the mannerisms and tics. By the end of the film, he is clearly talking more like we are used to Trump talking but it doesn't feel like a caricature. 

We always talk about the success of biopic performances based on how much someone looks or sounds like the person they are portraying, but I think Stan's work deserves far more credit than it has been getting. Not that I speak for everyone who has seen it, but I do get the sense that those who have given the film a chance has acknowledged the merits he brings to this complicated role.

Perhaps even more impressive is that of Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn, fresh off his Emmy winning stint on Succession and Tony winning work in An Enemy of the People. Cohn is one of those people who is widely hated by most people with a pulse and a conscience. A lot of his legacy was put under a larger magnifying glass when legendary playwright Tony Kushner made him a character in his seminal opus Angels in America...a role that has since become a goldmine for actors ranging from Ron Liebman, Al Pacino, and Nathan Lane.  

Roger Stone, the infamous Trump political consultant who happens to be portrayed in the film by Mark Rendall, commented on the film that Strong's work as Cohn was "uncanny" & "accurate". Based on all of the videos/interviews that are available of Cohn, it is clear that Strong has him nailed. It also helps that Strong has those deep eyes that can almost disappear in the sense of losing one's soul. In fact, it was that element that made his Succession character Kendall all the more compelling once he hits rock bottom going into the second season. 

Strong has gotten a lot of flak in the press and from his Succession costars Brian Cox and Kieran Culkin for being a bit too method in his approach, and I am honestly not going to go into that debate here...but I think his work as Cohn is worthy of an Oscar. Ironically enough, he is still on the brink of even being nominated and even if he does get in, he is seemingly going to lose to Culkin for what is truthfully a lead performance. 

We also have Maria Bakalova as Ivana. While I would argue her performance doesn't get the same amount of attention or care, she does do a lovely job. Considering she first came on our radar as Borat's daughter back in 2020, I love seeing her take on a more dramatic role. She deserves to have a bigger career, for sure. 

I am not saying the film itself is close to perfect. Aside from the fact that Bakalova doesn't get much to sink her teeth into, I would still argue the film flirts with that ever cheeky and often annoying trope where the script acknowledges things that we today know all too well, but the characters comment on without that knowledge. Then again, people were talking about Trump running for president as early as the 1980s.

As it stands, I think the film flowed well and managed to be entertaining despite the horrendous subject matter at the helm. I think if you are willing to sidestep your (fully justified) hatred for Trump, you could find a lot to be intrigued with this effort...at least from an acting standpoint.

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THE APPRENTICE

Rating: 8/10