[Rating: Solid Rock Fist Up]
In Theaters Friday October 11
A dense, shallow, mean-spirited rapist, the Donald Trump (Sebestian Stan) of The Apprentice represents all the worst aspects of American culture in the 20th century. An origin story of sorts for the man who has come to dominate the last 10 years of sociopolitical discourse, the film plots the trajectory of Trump’s villainy, and gives reasonable provenance to the grotesque American spectacle now known the world over. And while the script by Gabriel Sherman might overstate the former President’s business acumen at times, it never lets Trump off the hook for the morally, ethically, and personally awful individual that he is.
Starting in November 1973 when Donald is little more than an errand boy for his slumlord father (Martin Donovan), The Apprentice shows how the status-obsessed trust-fund kid weasels his way into Manhattan’s business elite. The movie posits that a chance encounter with notorious attorney and “fixer” Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong) instills all the tactics and values into Donald that will lead to his meteoric rise as not just a real estate mogul, but a cultural force. And while Cohn drives Trump’s early successes by cashing in old favors, leaning on blackmail, and demonstrating the value of a ruthless disposition, he’s setting both of them up for a collapse exclusively available to those who build their empires on rotten sand.
Cohn’s early advice to Donald sticks, though, and defines not just the character in The Apprentice but the egomaniacal grifter familiar to 21st-century observers.
Rule 1: attack, attack, attack
Rule 2: admit nothing, deny everything
Rule 3: no matter what happens…you claim victory and never admit defeat
As the film moves from the 70s into the 80s it shows Donald putting these principles to work not just in his professional life, but personally as well when he pursues his future wife, Ivana (Maria Bakalova). Donald closes deals, gets the girl, and becomes a media darling by sticking to Cohn’s rules of success, yet as Trump’s fortunes rise, his mentor’s begins to fall.
Director Ali Abbasi and Sherman’s script do a great job of reminding the audience just how shallow, uncultured, and ill-informed Donald is throughout all phases presented here. He has a full conversation with Andy Warhol (Bruce Beaton) with no concept of who the man is, recoils at his own children, and eats garbage junk food at every opportunity. His “conquests” in the business world and with Ivana bring him no joy, and even a moment of validation from his father, perhaps his hardest fought victory, does nothing for the man.
Even so, any conversation about The Apprentice and why it works as well as it does must start with Sebastian Stan, whose measured, thoughtful performance inhabits the classic “banality of evil” sweet spot. It would have been easier to play the part with a cavalier bravado that posits an innate disposition Trump himself would likely admire, but Stan resists, and instead adds layers of pathos to each phase presented. His portrayal presents Donald as a creatively vacant, emotionally closed off, and intellectually shallow man-child with a lot of initiative and little else going for him besides his daddy’s money. Indeed: each rung Donald climbs up the professional and social ladder adds to his public persona yet hollows him out further on the inside.
It’s Cohn that breathes life into Donald as a protégé and proxy, yet the tragic irony is that the attorney/fixer’s final years should have demonstrated how fraudulent this approach to the world actually is. It should have inspired the “apprentice” to find a better route, a new system … yet as already discussed, Donald is far too dense for independent or creative thought, and his journey, eventful though it may be, provokes nothing inside of him (inflated ego aside).
Sherman’s script lays down several timestamps in the film to subtly guide the audience through the passage of time, such as Nixon’s resignation, Donald and Ivana’s marriage, the opening of Trump Tower, and Cohn’s illness and eventual death. Hair, makeup, and wardrobe changes throughout the years also tell the story of a self-absorbed man coming to terms with his lifestyle and mortality, and provide considerable context to anyone who has ever heard a story about the former President’s nuclear-grade vanity.
And while all of this leads towards a gradual, upward trajectory in Donald’s business fortunes, The Apprentice is quick to remind viewers that this “success” comes with a familiar litany of caveats. These include Trump’s propensity to stiff contractors, bully allies, over-leverage his assets, and take advantage of whatever tax breaks/cheats available to him. It also lays the groundwork for the relationships that would come to define his 21st century political career, including with figures like Roger Stone (Mark Rendall) and Rupert Murdoch (Tom Barnett). “Rupert is going to be key for you. You want to get quoted in The Post and all the papers a lot,” Cohn tells Donald in one of several foreshadowing Easter Egg moments.
As a narrative all on its own, there isn’t much here, at least not of particular interest. One rich kid’s story about failing upwards by way of a political pit viper’s mentorship isn’t interesting on its own, but for anyone paying attention to the havoc wrought by Trump these last ten years or so, The Apprentice provides believable context for the makings of a modern monster. Career-best performances by the cast, sharp writing, and stellar hair/costume/makeup work allow the film to transcend imitation into essential territory, even if the fatigue of spending more time with Donald Trump sometimes threatens to ruin the experience.
“Obvious Child” is the debut novel of Warren Cantrell, a film and music critic based out of Seattle, Washington. Mr. Cantrell has covered the Sundance and Seattle International Film Festivals, and provides regular dispatches for Scene-Stealers and The Playlist. Warren holds a B.A. and M.A. in History, and his hobbies include bourbon drinking, novel writing, and full-contact kickboxing.
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