A new movie, The Apprentice, was released last week. It tells the story of Donald Trump in the 1970s and ’80s in New York City and his mentorship by the controversial lawyer and fixer Roy Cohn.
The film, which stars Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as Cohn, shows Cohn blackmailing various people on Trump’s behalf and also shows Trump sexually assaulting his first wife, Ivana, and undergoing surgery on his scalp. We also see Trump dealing with his overbearing father, Fred, and his alcoholic older brother, also named Fred.
Most of the events depicted in the movie have been alleged at one point or another, either in a book or legal proceeding. The film also shows Cohn imparting lessons on Trump that he would use throughout his political career, during which Trump has been known to compare his current lawyers, unfavorably, to Cohn.
Time to stop scrolling and watch the trailer for #TheApprentice. You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it. Only in theaters, October 11. pic.twitter.com/g1yQsxLSa1
— The Apprentice (@ApprenticeMov) September 10, 2024
Stay up-to-date with the latest news!
Subscribe and start recieving our daily emails.
The Apprentice, the first major feature film to feature Trump as the main character, took a long route to the screen, with investors dropping out and distributors shunning it. However, the filmmakers ultimately met their goal of getting the film on screens before the election.
We know that Trump’s legal team sent a cease-and-desist letter to the filmmakers after its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and while it reportedly spooked distributors for a time, it did not prevent the movie’s release.
Now, on Truth Social, Trump has given his “review” of the film.
Trump called the movie “A FAKE and CLASSLESS Movie written about me” and said he hoped it would “bomb.” He also called the film’s screenwriter, journalist Gabriel Sherman, “a lowlife and talentless hack, who has long been widely discredited.”
It does not appear that Trump has seen the film.
According to the AP’s box office report for the weekend, The Apprentice finished in 10th place at the box office for the weekend, earning just $1.6 million. It was one of several films this weekend, including Saturday Night and the Joker sequel, that underperformed at the box office, which all fell to the weekend’s top film, the horror sequel Terrifier 3.
However, the film has been well-received among those who did see it, with a critics score of 78 percent an audience score of 86 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Photo courtesy of Political Tribune media library.