Donald Trump & "The Apprentice"

[MsAmerica]

I have no idea if this will be of interest to anyone here, but I'll post anyway. This is a narrative film about Trump's early years, and there had been a lot of "buzz" about it, especially when Trump tried to block the release, and the filmmaker couldn't find a major distributor. I'd read good reviews, and I decided to make a point of seeing it for the opening weekend, so that my meager ticket price would add to the gross.

Of course "The Apprentice" is the title of Trump's television game show, but in this case, it's about Trump's years with Roy Cohn, one of the most vile people around, where Trump was, in effect, his apprentice as he learned and profited from Cohn's evil arts.

I was startled to find I knew only two names in the credits: Gabriel Sherman from Vanity Fair (and probably wouldn't have remembered if I hadn't read it) and Martin Donovan, unrecognizably as Fred Trump. Directed by Ali Abbasi - an Iranian!

It turned out to be very good. The main actors are generally excellent, although there is a minor annoyance when some don't much resemble their real-life counterparts. (Koch? He should be taller.) Ivana Trump benefits from an actress much prettier than she was in real life. The narrative is a little disjointed in the beginning, as it establishes the background, but gathers focus and force as it goes along.

I was wondering about the accuracy, as I was skeptical about some details. Did Trump really collect cash rents from his low-end tenants? I thought I recalled that he met Ivana at a ski resort, so I was skeptical that here he meets her at a clubalthough it seems more like a bar, not a real club like the Harvard Club or Lotos Club or Players Club. I checked, and I was wrong. He did, in fact, meet her at barI'm guessing something like the legendary Maxwell's Plum. Logically, considering Trump's well-known litigiousness, it makes sense for the filmmakers to strive for accuracy.

It shows a nice evolution of Trump from being insecure and inspiring to the strutting bully he became, helped by Cohn's tutelage. Very good, consistently interesting, with moments that are humorous, dramatic, poignant, and even shocking.

Is his sexual harassment of women portrayed or is this very sanitised?

Saw it yesterday. Enjoyed it. My understanding is that there was a lot of research done to formulate the film from various sources. The distressing scene involving Ivana was taken from her Divorce Papers for example - so it is highly probable he collected rent. I thought Sebastian Stan did a great job, as did Jeremy Strong who started off being bit Kendall Roy but ended the film being Roy Cohn. Personally, as pretty and as talented as the actor playing Ivana was, she didn’t have her striking looks (IMO).

An interesting take on the life of a very complicated man. I can see why he’s bothered by it - no Narcissist is able to take criticism or hold a mirror up to their own behaviour.

He is shown to be a player, but not a serial harasser. It does focus on the period leading up to and during his marriage to Ivana. It is clear he is no Gentleman and you end up understanding more about why he is how he is. You definitely don’t end up liking him any more than before you watched it IYSWIM.

Interesting timing!

Thank you.

I've been seeing the trailer every time I've been in the cinema for the last three weeks or so. It does look very well done and I do (probably) intend to see it but I don't think I could sit through it right now.

Ali Abbasi's previous film Holy Spider is really good.

I thoroughly enjoyed it, if enjoyed is the right word.

i of course don’t like him or admire him in any way, but watching his tutelage to become a bombastic loud mouth who wins was in equal parts fascinating and horrifying.

I watched the doc about his early life so would like to see this. Found it very interesting that the nice brother failed at what his family wanted of him and became alcoholic.

I enjoyed this and thought both Sebastian and Jeremy were great

I loved that it looked like it was filmed in the 70s and 80s. I thought as it moved into the 80s and film version Trump was getting more confident, we saw more of the mannerisms we are familiar with, both physically and the way he spoke

The woman playing his mother has obviously never heard a Scottish accent before if she thinks that’s what it sounds like! It was awful

I thought it was excellent.

Neither. It's irrelevant to this movie. This movie is about Trump's "Apprenticeship" in ruthlessness. And, actually, to be honest, no matter how disgusting his sexual harassment is, that's a very minor part of the despicable-ness of his life.

I want to see it but will probably wait for it to be streamed

Thanks for the views on it

Great assessment.

Yes, I know the filmmakers were careful with the research - especially since Trump loves to sue, so would pounce on anything that would seem to be just a lurid lie.

Yes, and so sad - with that awful father. I read the book by Mary Trump (the daughter of the "nice one") and it's great. What's particularly interesting is that she's a psychologist! So it's a fun blend of awful family stories and analytical insights.

Too Much and Never Enough
How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man
By Mary L. Trump

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Too-Much-and-Never-Enough/Mary-L-Trump/9781982141479

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53328654

From an interview:

Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong Say Their Trump Movie Is a Tragedy, Not a Mockery
The “Apprentice” stars and the director Ali Abbasi say their film is a “humanistic” treatment of the former president and his mentor, Roy Cohn.

Ali Abbasi: There is a version of this you can read as the becoming of a monster. There’s also another version, which is this human tragedy: Were there other possibilities for these people if their whole world was not reduced to winning and taking?

Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong Say ‘The Apprentice’ Is a ‘Human Tragedy’ - The New York Times

Thank you for that article, it was fascinating.. this sprung out at me...

There’s an idea I think about a lot that applies to both of those things, something that Jung said: “Where love is absent, power fills the vacuum.”

Okay, but can we agree that he isn't shown to be a serial harasser here, but we know he became one? My personal theory is that Ivana was one of the only two people he actually loved (the other being Ivanka), so maybe he didn't play around more until later, especially as he became more of a public figure.