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This review was originally published out of the Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2024.
We watch him watching Trump, and we wonder what he might think of us.
If only the film were up to the challenge of matching Strongs gaze.
There is something quaintly touching about these early scenes, which manage to briefly humanize Trump.
We see the way his straight-arrow dorkiness is pulverized and reshaped by the imperious Cohn.
Early scenes suggest, promisingly, that the film might pursue Donald and Fred Jr.s own fraught story.
This most tragic member of the Trump family thus becomes a mere narrative gear.
Fred Sr. distrusts Cohn and warns his son away from him.
What is Donald to Cohn?
Another obedient client, perhaps?
(I dont work for my clients, my clients work for me!
Cohn yells at one point.)
Or maybe another decent-looking guy to have around.
Anyway, its one of the few good ideas Abbasi has here.
But unlike everything else in the film, its probably too subtle to really hit.
Unfortunately, this movie, too, gets dumber as it goes along.
It doesnt help that Cohn is sidelined as he was in real life.
And who can blame him?
But films do have to justify themselves on some level.
