The Apprentice | |
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Directed by | Ali Abbasi |
Written by | Gabriel Sherman |
Produced by | Daniel Bekerman Jacob Jarek Julianne Forde Ruth Treacy Louis Tisné |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Kasper Tuxen |
Edited by | Olivier Bugge Coutté Olivia Neergaard-Holm |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | Mongrel Media (Canada) [1] Nordisk Film (Denmark) [2] StudioCanal (Ireland) [3] |
Release date |
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Running time | 120 minutes |
Countries | Canada Denmark Ireland United States [4] |
Language | English |
The Apprentice is a 2024 biographical historical drama film directed by Ali Abbasi and written by Gabriel Sherman. Starring Sebastian Stan as Donald Trump, the film examines Trump's career as a real estate businessman in New York in the 1970s and 80s. The film also stars Jeremy Strong, Maria Bakalova, and Martin Donovan.
The film had its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2024.
Set during the early years of Trump's business career, the film focuses on the relationship of Trump and Roy Cohn, a New York City prosecutor known for working with Senator Joseph McCarthy during the Second Red Scare. The "mentor-protégé narrative ... documents the start of an American dynasty" and discusses Trump's use of "power, corruption and deception." [5] Trump's "decency [is] eroded as he learns the dark arts of dealmaking and tastes power". [6]
The film was first announced in May 2018, with Gabriel Sherman slated to write the screenplay. [7] In October 2023, Ali Abbasi was confirmed to be joining the film as director and, as initially reported, co-writer. [8] However, it was later confirmed that Sherman would be the film's sole writer. The film began principal photography in November 2023, where Stan, Strong, and Bakalova were announced as the lead roles. [5] [9] Filming wrapped on January 28, 2024. [10] [ failed verification ] In February 2024, it was announced that Martin Donovan had joined the cast portraying Fred Trump. [11]
The film was submitted at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, held from May 14 to 25, 2024. [12] It was included in competition for the Palme d'Or in April 2024, alongside 18 other films. [13] The Apprentice premiered on May 20, 2024, at the festival. [14] Prior to this, StudioCanal acquired UK and Irish distribution rights to the film. [15]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 76% of reviews from 33 critics have been positive, with an average rating of 6.7 out of 10. [16] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100 based on 18 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews. [17] David Rooney in The Hollywood Reporter praised Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong's performances in the film with Stan "going beyond impersonation to capture the essence of the man". [18] Beyond the portrayal of Trump and Cohn, Rooney writes that the film examines the rise of 'winners' and 'losers' thinking in American life from the cynicism of the Nixon years to the rise of corporate greed during the Reagan presidency in the 1980s. [18]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
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Cannes Film Festival | May 25, 2024 | Palme d'Or | Ali Abbasi | Nominated | [19] |
Steven Cheung, the communications director of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign, threatened legal action against the film due to its depiction of a rape scene involving Ivana and Donald Trump [20] [21] [22] that 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. [23] After the Trump campaign called the film "garbage" and "pure fiction" in a lengthy statement, director Abbasi offered to screen the film for Trump. [24] He also said that realistic movies need to be produced about the threat of fascism. [25]
Billionaire Dan Snyder, formerly the owner of the Washington Commanders NFL team, donated money to the production of The Apprentice with the impression that the film would be a positive portrayal of Trump. Snyder is a close friend of Trump who donated $1.1 million to his inaugural committee and Trump Victory Committee in 2016 and $100,000 to his 2020 presidential campaign. After seeing a cut of the film in February 2024, Snyder was said to be furious, and lawyers for the Kinematics production company sought to fight the release of the film. [26]
In May 2024, Trump's legal team sent a cease & desist letter to the filmmakers. [27]
Ivana Marie Trump was a Czech-American businesswoman, socialite, and model. She lived in Canada in the 1970s, before relocating to the United States and marrying Donald Trump in 1977. She held key managerial positions in The Trump Organization, as vice president of interior design, as CEO and president of Trump's Castle casino resort, and as manager of the Plaza Hotel.
Sebastian Stan is a Romanian–American actor. He gained recognition for his role as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier in the Marvel Cinematic Universe media franchise beginning with the film Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and including the Disney+ miniseries The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (2021).
Ariane Labed is a Greek-French actress and film director. She is known for her feature film debut in Attenberg, for which she won the Volpi Cup for Best Actress, and appearing in Helen Edmundson's film Mary Magdalene in 2018.
Gabriel Sherman is an American author. In 2014, he wrote a biography about Fox News Channel president Roger Ailes called The Loudest Voice in the Room: How the Brilliant, Bombastic Roger Ailes Built Fox News – and Divided a Country, which debuted at #9 on The New York Times Bestseller list.
Before being elected president of the United States, Donald Trump had produced and hosted reality TV shows The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice from 2004 to 2015. He also made dozens of cameo appearances in films, television series, and advertisements since the 1980s. He has won the Worst Supporting Actor award at the 11th Golden Raspberry Awards for Ghosts Can't Do It in 1990, as well as awards for Worst Actor and Worst screen Combo at the 39th Golden Raspberry Awards for his roles in the documentary films Death of a Nation and Fahrenheit 11/9 in 2019.
Ali Abbasi is an Iranian-Danish filmmaker. He is known for his films Shelley (2016), Border (2018), Holy Spider (2022), and The Apprentice (2024). Abbasi also directed the last two episodes of the first season of the series The Last of Us. He has received various accolades, including an Un Certain Regard award, four Robert Awards, and a German Film Award, in addition to nominations for seven European Film Awards, a Goya Award, and two Guldbagge Awards.
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Before declaring his run for office in 2015, 45th president of the United States Donald Trump pursued celebrity throughout his highly publicized real estate career and prolific appearances on television. His extravagant lifestyle, outspoken manner, and role on the NBC reality show The Apprentice have made him a well-known public figure in American life for nearly half a century.
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