After months of lawsuits and controversy, “The Apprentice,” a biopic about former President Donald Trump and his lawyer Roy Cohn, finally released in October 2024. Centering around Trump’s booming rise to becoming a business mogul throughout the 1970s and ‘80s, the film has quickly become one of the most problematic releases of the year.

Following “The Apprentice’s” premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024, the Trump Campaign threatened a lawsuit  against the film in a statement to Variety. Though the statement harps on numerous alleged falsities shown in the film, its primary focus is a scene depicting Trump raping his wife, Ivana. Ivana previously accused Trump of rape in a 1990 divorce deposition detailed in the biography “Lost Tycoon: The Many Lives of Donald Trump,” though she has since retracted these claims, stating, “I do not want my words to be interpreted in a literal or criminal sense.”

Despite the Trump Campaign not moving forward with a lawsuit, numerous film studios and streamers passed on distributing the film. In the end, the film was bought by Briarcliff Entertainment, leading to a wide theatrical release. The week after the film’s release, Trump issued a heated statement on Truth Social, calling “The Apprentice,” “cheap, defamatory and politically disgusting,” before going on to refer to everyone behind the film as “human scum.”

In spite of this, “The Apprentice” has received glowing reviews from critics. Notably, The Hollywood Reporter described the film as a portrait of how “our contemporary reality was shaped by the unholy alliance between two men half a century ago.” Other news sources have praised the film, including The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times.

As someone who has seen the film, it was incredible. Sebastian Stan completely disappears into the role of Trump, while Jeremy Strong gives an Oscar worthy performance as Cohn. On a technical level the film is a marvel, shot as if it were an old-school grainy 1980s TV special in which the camera never stops moving. Yet the true heart of “The Apprentice” comes from the script, which is both incredibly funny and emotional. Trump’s character development is seamless, and we see the people who molded Trump into the person he is now, from his father to Cohn . The film is a tragedy about the disillusionment of the friendship between Trump and Cohn as the student, Trump, overtakes the master, Cohn. It offers a different side to well-known figures in a story that both humanizes and tears apart the former president. To this, screenwriter Gabriel Sherman told the Guardian, “It’s not written to influence people’s minds. It’s written as art and what people take from it is their own choice.”

Whether you are a fan of Trump or not, “The Apprentice” is absolutely worth watching. In an America where our politicians sway to extremes, the film gives a multi-faceted look at one of the main players in the 2024 election. Some may see it as a harsh criticism of their preferred candidate, while others could believe the film goes too easy on Trump. It is ultimately up for the viewer to decide for themselves, and it might just make you see one of America’s most substantial leaders in an entirely new light.