Journalist Gabriel Sherman's script doesn't pretend to be cuddly, but it still creates a level of sympathy for its characters, particularly Cohn, who is essentially ghosted by Trump as he deals with complications from AIDS . (Cohn died in 1986 at the age of 59.)

Sherman and Abbasi don't sugarcoat their subjects — there's a violent sexual assault between Trump and his wife Ivana (“Borat 2,” Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova) that's hard to watch — but it's a far more human portrait than the flamethrower job Given the film's subject matter and timing, one could expect it to hit theaters less than a month before the 2024 presidential election.

Stan is effective as Trump, and he avoids the “SNL” impression of a character who is perhaps the most famous and imitated person in the world. But he essentially takes a back seat to Strong, who displays all sorts of dramatic fireworks in his deeply committed performance as Cohn. With his sunken eyes and constantly wiggling neck, he plays him as a turtle-like ghoul putting pressure on the system under the guise of his love for America, but Strong manages to locate the beating heart in his chest. You don't have to like him or even respect him, but The Apprentice makes sure you understand how his influence is still felt today.