The Apprentice

Synopsis: A look back at the origin story for Donald J. Trump the business man and eventually the politician and the influences that shaped him.

Review:

When I first heard about this film, my interest was peaked by the casting of Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump and Jeremy Strong as Roy Cohn, these are two actors that have proven there acting prowess and their chameleon-like qualities in previous roles. I was not disappointed they were both fantasic Maria Bakalova being cast as Donald’s wife Ivana, when she arrives there is a new wrinkle in the film, someone that is not initally charmed by Donald. The script is smart, showing us just enough of these iconic portions of Trump’s life and his conquests both in his real estate empire and his bedroom, to his highly disfunctional family. The movie gives us just enough of Stan being charming as Donald that we can buy that this young, brash and good looking man would eventually turn into the Donald Trump of today and how he could become the president of the United States. I am writing this review a few days after watching the film and I think it comes down to Donald and his father figures as the main takeaways, always ending with Donald overreaching and thinking he knows better then these successful older men in his life.

The Apprentice opens in 1973 on a young Donald Trump on a date with a women who doesn’t seem to care about the rich and powerful folks that he is pointing out in the exclusive Le Club. Donald is summoned to the table of another member of the club, Roy Cohn who is a contentious, agressive lawyer that is known for winning all cases, at any cost. At this initial Trump complains that the federal government is investigating his father, Fred Trump a real estate professional for discriminatory processes against African-American tenants. Eventually Cohn offers to help and will take on supporting the Trumps in this case and then blackmails the lead prosecutor with photos of him with a cabana boy, the prosecutor settles the case for little, despite evidence of racial discrimination. Trump celebrates and is now pulled into Cohn’s orbit, seeing him as a better mentor than his father. Cohn takes Trump to buy a suit pointing out how dressing well and media relations are important, and offers his “three rules”: always attack, never admit wrongdoing, and always claim victory, even if defeated. The suit was for Trump to wear when he attended a party at Cohn’s posh home, where he walks in on Cohn, whose homosexuality is an open secret, having an orgy.

Trump personally wants to develop the rundown, midtown Commodore Hotel near Grand Central Terminal, into a Hyatt and Cohn supports using his audiotapes to blackmail officials and helps Trump get a $160 million tax abatement for the project, this outrages advocates for the poor. [Martin Donovan](Fred Trump, played by does not ask Fred, with whom he has a tense relationship, for permission to build. Trump personally wants to develop the rundown, midtown Commodore Hotel near Grand Central Terminal, into a Hyatt and Cohn supports using his audiotapes to blackmail officials and helps Trump get a $160 million tax abatement for the project, this outrages advocates for the poor. Martin Donovan completely disappears into the role of Fred Trump, who is upset with Donald for talking to the press and eventually building his hotel without talking to him or asking his permission. Later when Donald builds Trump Tower, he is talking at the opening with his father, Fred and eventually belittles his fathers previous real estate building accomplishments.

Roy Cohn publically criticizes unions and welfare queens, presenting himself as a protector of the American ideals, all the time attacking rules, norms, and even the truth. Donald through Roy’s network has been introduced to Roger Stone, here played convincingly by Mark Rendall there are a few meetings one that is during the Reagan era, Trump and Roger Stone approve of one of Reagan’s slogans, “Let’s Make America Great Again”.

Trump proceeds making reckless real estate developments such as the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, causing losses, which Cohn advised against. We are shown how difficult a father Fred is as he berates Fred Jr. for becoming an airline pilot with TWA, considering it akin to being “a bus driver with wings”. This is what we the audience are to believe leads to Fred Jr. into alcoholism, that causes him to lose his career and the Trumps distance themselves from him. When Fred Jr. eventually dies his mother is devestated by this, and then Donald’s attempts to manipulate his father’s dementia to gain control of his siblings’ inheritance to pay off mounting debts.

At Le Club Trump sees a Czech model Ivana Zelníčková having difficulty getting in and gets her admitted to his club saying she and her friends are his guests, and when they go to leave pays for her expenses, then pursues her to Aspen, Colorado, where she models, to ask her on a date. Donald and Ivana eventually wed, she is a big part of the design of his next projects and he loses interest and becomes cruel to her telling her he is no longer attracted to her leading to her becoming defensive and calling him fat. This leads to a vicious fight that ends when Donald rapes Ivana in a harrowing scene that the filmmaker might have wanted to put up a trigger warning about at the beginning of the film. At this point Donald is addicted to amphetamines to help control his weight and warned by his doctor to stop taking them and they discuss lyposuction and surgical solutions for his balding.

We see that Cohn has become sick and so has his lover Russell, he is facing disbarment, eventually they are diagnosed with AIDS but publicly denies it. Cohn asks Trump to put Russell up at his hotel but once it is obvious that Russell is sick Trump eventually throws him out, claiming that guests complained. Cohn confronts Trump on the street in front of his offices and Donald is obviously scared to touch Roy and refuses to approach him, Roy berates Trump on the street, calling him an ungrateful fraud. After Russell dies, Trump takes Cohn to Florida and celebrates his birthday, we see Roy being wheeled around the resort, after a dinner to celebrate Cohn’s birthday, Donald gives him Trump-branded diamond cufflinks. Ivana informs Roy that the diamonds are zirconium knockoffs, and when the cake arrives, Roy weeps and excuses himself from the table. Cohn dies and next we see Trump undergoing liposuction and scalp-reduction surgeries, then meeting with the ghostwriter of his autobiography, The Art of the Deal, and recounts Cohn’s three rules as his own. Trump muses about becoming President, talks about the genetic superiority of winners, and explains his own greatness while looking out across the New York skyline.