*** THE APPRENTICE *** (Donald Trump Movie)

4,545 Views | 41 Replies | Last: 8 days ago by TCTTS
TCTTS
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Giving this movie its own thread, if only to keep any further discourse out of the general movie trailer thread...

The Apprentice
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8368368/
October 11, 2024
Theatrical Exclusive



zap
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Premiers in October...NICE
RogerFurlong
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Pretty terrible Trump impression. Someone could come out with a really good movie on Trump. It would have to wait a long time until people calm down about him though.
rhutton125
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I finally watched Zero Dark Thirty the other day and was reading about the hubbub surrounding when it would release relative to the election that year. Would it be pro-Obama, would it be pro-Bush era, etc.

Curious if that will be the case here. Is it glamorizing? Is it satirizing? Will anyone seek to block or delay it? Etc.
TCTTS
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Trump already tried to delay it by threatening to sue whoever bought it (it was produced independently), but he then of course backed down after Briarcliff acquired it/called his bluff. I seriously doubt anything else attempts to stop it from coming out in the next month.
Definitely Not A Cop
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Page 1. Odds this thread makes it to the release of the movie? Very slim imo.
TCTTS
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RogerFurlong said:

Pretty terrible Trump impression. Someone could come out with a really good movie on Trump. It would have to wait a long time until people calm down about him though.

I actually don't mind Sebastian Stan doing his own thing here. IMO, even if not 100% accurate, it helps paint a picture of Trump before Roy Cohn (played by Jeremy Strong). You can even see in the trailer how Stan then dabbles in slightly more of a traditional impersonation, after being molded by Cohn, without going full traditional impersonation. Which I think is smart, as this is basically an origin story of sorts.
Petrino1
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According to the film's Wikipedia page, there's a scene of Trump violently raping his first wife.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apprentice_(2024_film)
TCTTS
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Which she accused him of doing in real life...

Quote:

The rape scene was based on divorce records. In a deposition relating to their divorce, Ivana accused Donald of rape and of pulling out her hair by the handful when his plastic surgery to alter his hairline failed.
Definitely Not A Cop
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Can someone in the media tell me the word for the opposite of Hagiography?
TCTTS
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For the record, echoing what I said a few days ago in the general trailer thread, while the movie does depict Trump being his usual, horrible self, I've heard repeatedly that it's also apparently somewhat sympathetic toward him, and almost kind of sort of paints him as a victim at the hands of Roy Cohn. In other words, this isn't the straight hit piece many are expecting it to be, to the point where a few of those on the left who have seen it have expressed concern than it humanizes/sympathizes Trump in a way that might influence some voters. Personally, I can't see anyone actually being swayed by the movie either way, but who knows...
The Porkchop Express
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is that really Roy Cohn or just a few years older Kendall Roy?

RogerFurlong
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TCTTS said:

Which she accused him of doing in real life...

Quote:

The rape scene was based on divorce records. In a deposition relating to their divorce, Ivana accused Donald of rape and of pulling out her hair by the handful when his plastic surgery to alter his hairline failed.

She didn't mean he physically raped her.
"That was all just the lawyers' talk", she said, after having previously clarified she did not accuse him in "a literal or criminal sense".
TCTTS
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To be clear, she did, in fact, initially describe an actual, physical assault, one that was not metaphorical or "lawyer talk"...

Quote:

She claimed that Trump pushed her to the floor and pulled out handfuls of her hair. Ivana initially described what followed as a rape, but later walked back on the claim. In a 1993 statement, she said, "On one occasion during 1989, Mr Trump and I had marital relations in which he behaved very differently towards me than he had during our marriage. As a woman I felt violated... I referred to this as a rape, but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense."

Walking some of that back doesn't mean it didn't happen, only that her story eventually changed, for any number of reasons. I'm not here to make a judgment call either way, I'm just saying that the filmmakers didn't pull it out of thin air.
javajaws
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TCTTS said:

For the record, echoing what I said a few days ago in the general trailer thread, while the movie does depict Trump being his usual, horrible self, I've heard repeatedly that it's also apparently somewhat sympathetic toward him, and almost kind of sort of paints him as a victim at the hands of Roy Cohn. In other words, this isn't the straight hit piece many are expecting it to be, to the point where a few of those on the left who have seen it have expressed concern than it humanizes/sympathizes Trump in a way that might influence some voters. Personally, I can't see anyone actually being swayed by the movie either way, but who knows...
I don't think you have a good appreciation for how much of America votes based on how they feel about a candidate (and how impressionable those feelings can be) vs how they stand politically or well anything else for that matter. And that goes for voters who typically vote on the left AND right ends of the political spectrum. Its a stupid way to vote....but I don't think anybody has ever accused the average voter of being smart.
TCTTS
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I totally get that. I'm just saying, A) when it comes to Trump, everyone mostly had their minds made up long ago, and likely isn't going to change them a month before the election, while B) hardly anyone is going to see this movie in theaters regardless, as it's an indie release, not going wide, and probably won't hit streaming until after the election.
TCTTS
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A pretty good summation of a number of reactions I've seen so far, this one from Jeff Sneider...

Quote:

Written by Gabriel Sherman, The Apprentice has proven to be a lightning rod on the film festival circuit this fall. It's also the best film I've seen at TIFF thus far, as there's real merit to this movie - it isn't just some pre-election stunt designed to show a candidate in a bad light.

In fact, as I wrote in my review, the real power (and danger) of this film is that it makes Trump come off as somewhat relatable - at least in its first half before his ego runs off the rails.

The Apprentice is centered around young Trump's relationship with Cohn (Jeremy Strong) and his courtship of Ivana Zelnkov (Maria Bakalova) in the '70s. The film is drawing controversy regarding a scene in which Donald rapes Ivana, but other than that scene, there's nothing all that controversial about it.

It's just a damn good movie, featuring two powerhouse performances from Stan and Strong. For more, click here to read my full review, but regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, you should make time to see The Apprentice when it hits theaters on Oct. 11 via Briarcliff Entertainment.
The Porkchop Express
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So are we betting on days before this thread is locked or # of posts?
captkirk
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When is the Kamala/Willie Brown biopic hitting theaters?
Claude!
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captkirk said:

When is the Kamala/Willie Brown biopic hitting theaters?
NC17 - couldn't get distribution.
BCSWguru
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who is the target audience for this? nobody wants to see this crap. Reminds me of all those anti-war middle east movies during W's tenure.
Al Bula
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Page 1

TaggiesT
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captkirk said:

When is the Kamala/Willie Brown biopic hitting theaters?
Did they have an Emmy nominated TV series too?
Looking forward to this, loved the first season of The Apprentice. Hopefully this one is a success and we get sequels for the other seasons.
TCTTS
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Despite my disdain for Trump, I tried to go into this one as objectively as possible, and judge it based not on how good/effective it is at confirming my own opinion of Trump, but on how good/effective it is simply as a movie.

To that end, I saw it tonight... and it's a damn solid effort, one that's even genuinely funny/entertaining at times (though a drama for sure).

But at two hours I actually wish it was longer. While the first half is exceptional (where Trump is way more sympathetic), the second half - Trump's rise - feels a bit rushed and glossed over. The first half, set in the mid-to-late '70s, is also shot on what appears to be 16 mm film, and looks so much better than the second half, which mostly looks to be shot on VHS, to try and capture the '80s aesthetic.

Big picture, though, it's basically the story of how attorney Roy Cohn (played brilliantly by Jeremy Strong) created a monster in Trump. Trump starts out green/"innocent" enough - it seems all he wants in life is to return 1970's, ****-hole New York to its former glory - but once he makes a deal with the devil in Cohn to do so, it starts him down a path of no return. Don't get me wrong, Trump isn't portrayed as an angel or anything in the first half - he's still money-hungry and braggadocios - but the movie does surprisingly paint him as somewhat of a "lovable," do-whatever-it-takes underdog, before Cohn ultimately realizes what he's unleashed.

In that sense, if Cohn is evil/bizarro Obi-Wan, Trump is very much his Anakin/Vader.

The biggest surprise for me was just how good Sebastian Stan is as Trump. It's not a spot-on impersonation by any means, but man does he increasingly embody Trump's overall vibe, gestures, and speaking patterns to an uncanny degree at times. It's just a really cool, slowly morphing effect, almost, to watch his gradual transformation into the Trump we know today.

Overall, while it's definitely a little too obvious and on-the-nose at times, some of you will be happy to know that it doesn't really come across as a political movie at all, nor does it even feel like it's judging Trump, at least in the heavy-handed, liberal-finger-wagging way some might expect. Yes, it's clearly saying these two *******s - Trump and Cohn - were made for each other, and got what was coming to varying degrees. But it's not dripping in sanctimonious outrage either.

Anyway, it released tonight, and while I was certain it was going to be a limited release, I just checked and it's actually playing in both my hometown and in College Station, which indicates a way wider release than I was expecting. So if it's playing in a theater near you, which it most likely is, I definitely recommend giving it a shot. It's nothing amazing or award-winning, but it's probably a better movie than you might be expecting.
jokershady
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Interesting to hear that take and that was the angle they went with. Still no interest to see it but I did a quick read of an interesting headline if I can find the article later I'll post it.

Apparently Sebastian Stan had a hard time losing the casual "trumpisms" with the way he spoke….which is pretty dang funny…

Honestly he seems like a really fun person to do an impression of and I'm envious of folks like Shane Gillis who do an amazing job of it….wouldve loved to have been a fly on a wall around Sebastian where he can't stop doing an impression
jeffk
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Definitely Not A Cop said:

Page 1. Odds this thread makes it to the release of the movie? Very slim imo.
Definitely Not A Cop
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jeffk said:

Definitely Not A Cop said:

Page 1. Odds this thread makes it to the release of the movie? Very slim imo.



Gigem314
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Sebastian Stan is a talented actor, and I think a bit underrated given his image as a Marvel movie guy.

I would expect this to be along the lines of 'W' or 'Vice'. It has a certain audience in mind.

I personally think it would be entertaining to hear Trump give it a review...and Kamala to try and describe the plot like a 3rd grader.
Saxsoon
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The left won't see this because it portrays Trump in a somewhat positive light. The right won't see if because he isn't portrayed as a messiah. Feels like a doomed project
YouBet
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Does this movie cover the Europeans creating the massive God Emperor Trump effigy? If not, I'm out.
rhutton125
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I think they cut the "you're a Harris/Walz guy" "no I'm not" etc exchange but kept the movie discussion.

Sounds interesting. I'll check it out at some point. I do love Sebastian Stan.
pdc093
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"Despite my disdain for Trump, I tried to go into this one as objectively as possible"....

I laughed.
InternetFan02
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Hopefully the same group that did the Reagan movie will do a Trump movie
TCTTS
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"Mexico, put up this wall!"

Urban Ag
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TCTTS said:

"Mexico, put up this wall!"


Genuinely curious. What's humorous about this? I have to be missing something.
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