The team behind the Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice may be hearing the reality star’s iconic phrase ‘You’re fired’ following its disappointing box office debut.
The film, which chronicles Trump’s real estate career, struggled to attract audiences, earning only an estimated $1.58 million despite a $16 million production budget and a release in 1,750 theaters.
Directed by Ali Abbasi, who told DailyMail.com he considered casting an actress to play the former president, The Apprentice faced legal hurdles earlier this year from Trump’s attorneys seeking to block its release.
Its opening day results were particularly underwhelming, with the film grossing around $150,000 on Thursday.
Despite these challenges, the movie, featuring Sebastian Stan as Trump and Jeremy Strong as Republican operative Roy Cohn, has received mostly positive reviews.
Meanwhile, production company Briarcliff Entertainment is reportedly aiming to position the film for awards consideration.
In a largely positive review, The New York Times called the film ‘gleefully vulgar’ and said there was a ‘startling’ resemblance between leads Sebastian and Jeremy and the real-life men they portray.
Reviewer Manohla Dargis wrote: ‘Each actor has clearly made an attentive study of his character’s real-life counterpart, his mannerisms, how he moves and especially his voice.’
The Donald Trump biopic The Apprentice has received largely positive reviews from critics who have praised it as a ‘gleeful’ and fast-paced story with strong performances
The film, directed by Ali Abbassi and written by Gabriel Sherman, follows Trump during his career as a real estate baron in the 1970s and 80s
She added: ‘The movie encourages you to laugh at his extremes, his vanity and braggadocio, the one thing that the filmmakers don’t prepare you for, even if you should know better, is the magnitude of the American tragedy rapidly unfolding before you.
In another positive review, the Los Angeles Times said Sebastian Stan delivers ‘the performance of his career to date’ and also praised the film’s cinematography for capturing its 1980s setting well.
Reviewer Katie Walsh added: ‘Some may want ‘The Apprentice’ to go further. It does humanize Trump. But it also presents a plainly obvious depiction of how a man can turn into a monster with the right personality, background and guidance. What more could it possibly need to say?’
Movie fansite JoBlo also gave The Apprentice a glowing review and said Jeremy Strong’s performance as Roy Cohn made him the ‘true star’ of the film.
Reviewer Chris Bumbray wrote: ‘Abbasi gives a tremendous sense of pace, with it a lean and mean two hours, and entertaining from start to finish, regardless of where on the political spectrum you may be.’
The Washington Post gave the film a less positive review, rewarding it only 2.5 stars out of five, largely because it felt the movie failed to take a point of view on its main character.
Reviewer Ty Burr wrote: ‘There may be no hidden self in Donald Trump. What we see is what we get. Because the film’s only storyline is that the man became the monster (or, for some, the messiah) he seemed destined to be, there’s no dramatic tension to push the movie forward.
‘For any sense of tragedy, there would have to be at least a glimmer of self-knowledge, and the film’s Trump — just like, one suspects, the actual man — remains profoundly incurious about himself or anything outside himself.’
Sebastian Stan (left) stars as the businessman turned politician while Jeremy Strong portrays his lawyer Roy Cohn and Maria Bakalova (right) plays Trump’s ex-wife Ivana
The New York Times called the film ‘gleefully vulgar’ and said there was a ‘startling’ resemblance between leads Sebastian and Jeremy and the real-life men they portray
Good Morning America gave the film a positive review, joining others in praising the acting performances.
Reviewer Peter Travers wrote: ‘Wherever you stand on the Trump divide, there’s no arguing that Stan and Strong deserve a place in the Oscar race since they burn up the screen.’
Joining others, The New Yorker praised the acting performances but felt many of the supporting characters were lackingon screen.
Reviewer Richard Brody wrote: ‘The supporting performances, impressive as they are, only sketch characters, rather than embodying them—because Abbasi’s merely efficient direction leaves the actors little time and little space onscreen to delve into their roles.
‘The movie racks up a tally of dramatic incidents but stays far from wider implications or inner lives.’
It comes after the Trump campaign announced it will sue the ‘pretend filmmakers’ behind The Apprentice because it shows the presidential candidate raping his wife Ivana.
It said it was riddled with long debunked lies and belonged in a ‘dumpster fire.’
The movie tells the story of the end of his marriage to Ivana, and at one point it depicts Trump raping his wife and asking: ‘Did I find your g spot?’
In a divorce deposition in 1989 Ivana made an accusation of rape but rescinded this in 2015. She has since died.
‘We will be filing a lawsuit to address the blatantly false assertions from these pretend filmmakers,’ said Steven Cheung, Trump campaign communications director.
‘This garbage is pure fiction which sensationalizes lies that have been long debunked.
‘As with the illegal Biden Trials, this is election interference by Hollywood elites, who know that President Trump will retake the White House and beat their candidate of choice because nothing they have done has worked.
‘This “film” is pure malicious defamation, should not see the light of day, and doesn’t even deserve a place in the straight-to-DVD section of a bargain bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store, it belongs in a dumpster fire.’
The makers of the film are also reported to be in dispute with one of its financial backers, billionaire Dan Snyder, who is a Trump supporter and former donor to his campaign.
Ivana (pictured, left) was married to Donald Trump (pictured, right) from 1977 to 1990
Sebastian Stan has received glowing praise for his performance as Donald Trump
In Ivana Trump’s 1990 divorce deposition, she stated that Mr Trump raped her. She claimed that Trump pushed her to the floor and pulled out several handfuls of her hair.
Mr Trump denied the allegation and Ivana Trump later said she did not mean it literally, but rather that she had felt violated.
In a 1993 statement, she said, ‘On one occasion during 1989, Mr Trump and I had marital relations in which he behaved very differently towards me than he had during our marriage.
‘As a woman I felt violated … I referred to this as a rape, but I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.’
