The Apprentice

 

“You have to be willing to do anything, to anyone, to win.”

Arrogant, scathing and narcissistic, The Apprentice is an eerily effective examination of the ego of Donald Trump with a captivating Sebastian Stan who captures not just the mannerisms but the mindset of the mogul peeling back the artifice to reveal a deeply flawed psyche in an 80s period piece pasted over with glitz and glamour to hide the seedy soul underneath. 

Discussion Points:

Wow! Ali Abbasi captures the ego of Trump in a scathing fashion - detailing his misplaced strengths and crippling insecurities. For all the opulence and wealth, Trump always seemed like a fraud. A cheap artifice caked over a fragile core. Less a self-made man, than a selfish man who should’ve amounted to less. But thanks to the ruthless brutality of Roy Cohn, played with increasing regret and guilt by Jeremy Strong, Trump lost any shot at decency and was shaped into the business mogul and magnate who’s immorality continues to underpin his political ambitions. Cohn taught Trump three lessons: 1) always attack; 2) deny everything; & 3) never admit defeat - and those three “killer instincts” would shape Trump’s personality, political and business aspirations for years to come. Sebastian Stan doesn’t do an impression - he exudes an expression. He doesn’t just copy the outside mannerisms, he finds the mindset of Trump and extends that outwards. His deepest fears, desires, dreams and weaknesses all on eerie display. Add effective makeup, hairstyling, costume design, set dressing and 80s handheld home video aesthetic, and the film feels almost like an archival documentary, capturing the fly-on-the-wall moments Trump hoped would never be revealed. Maria Bakalova makes the most of limited screen time but sadly Ivana never gets her moment of triumph because this is a cynical film, that closes with Trump’s haunting narcissism only growing stronger and seemingly unstoppable. It doesn’t tell you what you likely already didn’t know, but it’s a nonetheless momentous and pertinent portrait of power, corruption, ego and greed - the American dream turned nightmare