Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
Oct 20, 2024
Table of Contents
What are some words that come to mind when you think about Donald Trump? Businessman? Conservative? Tasteless? Misogynist? Grating on the ears? In this 80s biopic of the reality TV personality, Ali Abbasi explores the relationship between Trump (Sebastian Stan) and his former mentor, Roy Cohn (Jeremy Strong), getting into the weeds of his early career before he became even more of a reprehensible rat. One of the most controversial and polarizing films of the year, everyone has something to say about ‘The Apprentice’, but does it stick too close to the center of the road? And is releasing a film of this nature at this moment a good idea? These are questions that will be answered in the fullness of time, but what we know for sure now is that ‘The Apprentice’ has incredible production design and knockout performances that really bring these monsters to life, all to the tune of a kick-ass soundtrack and score.
It is nothing short of incredible how well Abbasi and Strong do in making the audience feel bad for Roy Cohn, an objectively objectionable human being in real life and a blot on the modern history of American politics. But, in the context of ‘The Apprentice’, he pales in comparison to the real monster, Donald Trump. In Abbasi’s interpretation of events, Trump completely usurps Cohn, sucks all of the air out of his legacy, and Cohn dies alone to a tragic disease alienated from what was once his inner circle. And then you smack yourself and remember that we’re talking about Roy freaking Cohn. Strong is obviously in familiar territory playing an upper class first class donkey, as fans of HBO’s Succession can attest, and he delivers an incredible performance of this reprehensible human being.
Stan’s transformation into Trump is also startling. As the character takes on more and more of the traits modern audiences know him for, Stan goes deeper and deeper into the mind of the world’s most famous and most enabled narcissist (second only maybe to the owner of a certain social media website). The voice, the mannerisms, the tackiness, it’s all on point. Scarily on point. The very last shot of the film nearly breaks the illusion as the camera zooms all the way into Stan’s eye and you can see the creases in the stage makeup, but it’s not like his real life counterpart has been in front of a camera without any face paint in years. Thank god Stan isn’t a method actor, but the way he gets into this character without going crazy is impressive to say the least.
The soundtrack and score by Martin Dirkov, David Holmes, and Brian Irvine are standout pieces of this film. The soundtrack, for lack of a better phrase, absolutely slaps. Ripped straight from the airwaves of the 80s in New York City, ‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ by Baccara, ‘Ghost Rider’ by Suicide, and ‘Blue Monday’ by New Order are just a few of many incredible picks for this soundtrack that take us from disco into pure rock n roll, and then turn everything inside out with the birth of alternative. The musical landscape of the 80s and the rapid changes it went through are a warped mirror of Trump’s own monstrous character development (or derailment, take your pick), which is why it works so well. Seamless transitions from radio hits and classical picks to the non-diegetic score make the sound experience of this movie one of a kind. Sound really is half the battle, and the music department absolutely slayed.
Period pieces often ride or die based on their production design. As much as it pains me to call the 80s “period”, ‘The Apprentice’ absolutely nails the look of New York and the soulless suits that inhabited it in the 80s. Costumes, hair, makeup, and set design all managed a perfect balance of tacky and perceived timelessness of the decade, that paired with the music felt so real. The tasteless decadence of the uber-rich was so well executed. As Cohn is dying and Trump is on the rise, everything around Cohn is ripped away a piece at a time; meanwhile, Trump’s mansions and penthouses fill up with pricier and even uglier luxuries. The creative team goes over the top, but is always in service of the characters, as despicable as they are.
Abbasi initially wanted a September release for ‘The Apprentice’, to coincide with one of the presidential debates planned for Joe Biden and Trump, but American distributors were extremely hesitant to take on this well-executed but polarizing biopic. Cease and desist letters from the titular reality star’s legal team certainly weren’t encouraging. Briarcliff Entertainment, headed by Tom Ortenberg, eventually took on the daunting task of bringing ‘The Apprentice’ to North American theaters, but it remains to be seen how audiences at large will react to this particular film in this particular moment, just weeks before a monumental general election.
It also begs the question, is this really the right moment? Trump is not the hero of this film by any stretch of the imagination, given a wide array of events up to and including assaulting and raping his wife Ivana Trump, as well as an interaction that places the blame for his brother’s suicide squarely on his shoulders. But, Abbasi seems to think the former host of the reality show by the same name might actually enjoy this movie, inviting him to a private screening. Reviews from the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival also criticize what appears to be an attempt to play both sides, rather than committing to a clear argument. It’s entirely possible that this film was never meant to move the needle, but why insist upon a pre-election release? If no one that sees this is going to change their minds about how they feel about the 78 year-old former president, for or against, the fight to get to this point is baffling. Maybe it’s a genius marketing strategy. The one time this film can capture the runoff of a national event that everyone is invested in is, in fact, now. Maybe it’s lunacy, given major networks aren’t exactly chomping at the bit to run trailers of ‘The Apprentice’ on their channels. Either way, ‘The Apprentice’ might be the best quality but most unfortunately timed movie in decades.
Click here to read The Hollywood Insider’s CEO Pritan Ambroase’s love letter to Cinema, TV and Media. An excerpt from the love letter: The Hollywood Insider’s CEO/editor-in-chief Pritan Ambroase affirms, “We have the space and time for all your stories, no matter who/what/where you are. Media/Cinema/TV have a responsibility to better the world and The Hollywood Insider will continue to do so. Talent, diversity and authenticity matter in Cinema/TV, media and storytelling. In fact, I reckon that we should announce “talent-diversity-authenticity-storytelling-Cinema-Oscars-Academy-Awards” as synonyms of each other. We show respect to talent and stories regardless of their skin color, race, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, etc., thus allowing authenticity into this system just by something as simple as accepting and showing respect to the human species’ factual diversity. We become greater just by respecting and appreciating talent in all its shapes, sizes, and forms. Award winners, which includes nominees, must be chosen on the greatness of their talent ALONE.
I am sure I am speaking for a multitude of Cinema lovers all over the world when I speak of the following sentiments that this medium of art has blessed me with. Cinema taught me about our world, at times in English and at times through the beautiful one-inch bar of subtitles. I learned from the stories in the global movies that we are all alike across all borders. Remember that one of the best symbols of many great civilizations and their prosperity has been the art they have left behind. This art can be in the form of paintings, sculptures, architecture, writings, inventions, etc. For our modern society, Cinema happens to be one of them. Cinema is more than just a form of entertainment, it is an integral part of society. I love the world uniting, be it for Cinema, TV, media, art, fashion, sport, etc. Please keep this going full speed.”
Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
Abigail Whitehurst is an entertainment professional and writer for Hollywood Insider based in Los Angeles, CA. Having lived all over the world as part of a military family and having pursued a bachelors of music, she brings a unique outlook to the entertainment industry. A life-long learner and researcher, Abigail is pursuing her masters in entertainment management. She strives to write through the lenses of context, analysis, and Hollywood Insider’s values to bring a fresh perspective to industry trends, entertainment business, and new film and TV releases. Her favorite place is a movie theater, and she’s always hunting for the deeper meaning and studying media as it pertains to culture. Film, TV, and interactive media are some of the most impactful artforms of our day, and they are worth digging into and analyzing. Everything is connected, whether it’s through Bacon numbers or history. When she’s not writing or at the movies, you can find Abbie crocheting or playing video games with her partner.
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