The 2024 United States presidential debate is nigh, the election itself is set for Nov. 5, and sandwiched between the two is the theatrical release date of The Apprentice, the Donald Trump biopic and festival darling set to take aim at the heinous political machine that shaped Trump into the ideological weapon he is today.
Hours ahead of Trump’s face-off with Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, The Apprentice decided to release its first trailer in a move that might be the furthest thing from coincidence we’ll see all month. It’s giving 1970s and ’80s New York realness and supporting actor awards buzz and “here’s why Trump turned out the way he did” at a moment when it’s really anyone’s guess whether or not viewers want more of Trump on their screens. Take a look:
Aesthetically, the trailer telegraphs the exact same vibe we got from the clip that released just last week. There’s a tackiness to the grain, camera movement, and lighting that’s almost certainly an intentional nod to the reality television of yore, wherein Trump was most at home prior to his acclimation within the Republican Party. Meanwhile, the uncanny bluntness of Sebastian Stan‘s teased performance — that of a man who speaks without punctuation and who has absolutely no grasp on his own cognition — looks to be every bit the standout component that everyone’s saying it is. But it’s Jeremy Strong who appears to fuel the disturbing backbone of The Apprentice. As Roy Cohn — the Dr. Frankenstein behind this monster of a politician — Strong presents a young Trump with three doctrines that he urges him to build his legacy upon.
The first: Attack, attack, attack. Be exactly as relentless in your business pursuits as you are in your inevitable targeting of minority groups and anyone who dares to oppose you. This rule encompasses failed casino ventures in equal measure that it encompasses reporters with disabilities, evidently.
The second: Admit nothing, deny everything. Even when the facts are stacked against you and you’d be better off from both a legal and moral standpoint to disclose your wrongdoings, your tenacity in adhering to your own bulls*** must be steadfast. How else can others latch onto it if you don’t provide it unwaveringly?
The third: No matter what happens, claim victory, and never admit defeat, because if you insist that you’re always the winner no matter what, then maybe your followers will barge their way into government buildings in order to claim what they believe is rightfully yours.
Indeed, between Cohn’s Creed for the Encroaching Conman, the deliberately stinky visuals, and a two-hour runtime that promises to be littered with cynicism, greed, corruption, and anti-love, The Apprentice doesn’t seem to be holding back on the portrait it wants to paint. Exactly what effect it might have on the election is another story entirely, but it certainly doesn’t seem to want to do Trump any favors, per the consensus of early critic reviews.
Stan and Strong star in The Apprentice alongside Maria Bakalova, Martin Donovan, Ben Sullivan, Charlie Carrick, Mark Rendall, and Joe Pingue. Helmed by Ali Abbasi (Border) with a screenplay from husband-and-wife duo Jennifer Stahl and Gabriel Sherman, the film is named after the reality competition series that made Trump even more of a household name during its run from 2004 to 2017. You can catch it in theaters Oct. 11, not even a month before voting for the 2024 United States presidential election is set to begin.
Published: Sep 10, 2024 03:47 pm