Donald Trump's legal team worked hard to block the release of the biopic "The Apprentice," which documents his relationships with Roy Cohn and his first wife, Ivanka, but they were unsuccessful.
And ironically, it's getting better reviews than the real man himself ever has.
The movie, which received an eight-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival, only recently landed an American distributor after stirring up controversy for its portrayal of the 1970s/1980s Trump as a rapist, a liar, and a sketchy businessman who stiffs just about everyone.
In a world weary of Trump overload, it might be easy enough to dismiss "The Apprentice" based just on its trailer. Actor Sebastian Stan is a far better-looking actor than others who have portrayed Trump, but early reviews commend Stan's performance, and also single out actor Jeremy Strong ("Succession") for his performance as Cohn.
In his review of "The Apprentice" for SFGate, Drew Magary explains that he understands the Trump Fatigue, but still encourages audiences to seek out the "dramatized" biopic. "Playing Donald Trump is a thankless role, because the 24/7 news cycle means that you and I know the real man all too well," Magary writes. "Stan doesn’t bother playing that Trump, at least not at first...by the end of 'The Apprentice,' which stops shortly after Cohn’s death from AIDS in 1987, Stan has Trump’s present mannerisms down cold. It’s as impressive an on-screen transformation as you’ll ever watch."
Interestingly, 1987 was the same year Trump met Vladimir Putin, so he traded one replacement for the father who never loved him for another one.