The 45th Don
Whilst his father, Fred (Ron McLarty), saw the future in the development of properties in Manhattan, Donald Trump (Louis Ferreira - The Marsh), with the support of his lawyer, Peter Wennik (Saul Rubinek - Gleason), set about building the family empire with properties in New York City. But whilst his empire led to him meeting and marrying Ivana (Katheryn Winnick - Tipping Point) it was not an easy road with plenty of opposition to the various properties he looked to buy and redevelop. But with an unerring self belief and the ability to talk his was out of a situation Donald not only increased the family empire but did so despite almost ending up bankrupt.
Today is Sunday 22nd January 2017; 2 days after Donald J. Trump became the 45th President of the United States, something which frankly a year earlier would have seemed a long shot, just as Leicester winning the Premier League. Now even before Trump achieved the seemingly impossible it was hard not to have heard of the businessman but as a Brit I will admit I knew little of his background, how he built his empire and so on. It is why I was actually looking forward to watching "Trump Unauthorized" a biopic made back in 2005 which gives an insight into Donald Trump's background.
Now what you get in "Trump Unauthorized" is like a mixing bowl of everything. As such we get to see how Donald was like his father when it came to business but with even more determination to make his mark on the world. We also see how his older brother Fred Jr. was the opposite and had a drink problem, leading to Donald's aversion to alcohol, whilst we also get a glimpse into his marriage to Ivana and his affair with Marla Marples. Basically we do get to see a mix of background, his good points but also his bad points.
But what we also see is the combination of his determination to succeed and his self belief which saw him build his property empire in NYC, achieving things even his father thought was impossible. But we also see how even after being on the precipice of failure he found a way to turn the situation around and bounce back. It almost gives "Trump Unauthorized" a kind of "Wolf of Wall Street" feel as it is the focus on the self belief of Donald Trump which makes this entertaining.
Now there is only one Donald J. Trump but it has to be said that Louis Ferreira does a decent job of playing him. From the way he pushes his lips out when he speaks to the way the voice changes when in this biopic's final scenes we see an older Donald being approached by a producer with an idea for a TV show where he fires people. Okay so you never forget you are watching an actor playing the part but it gets across this version of who Donald Trump is, the determined businessman with an unerring self belief. At the same time Katheryn Winnick makes for an entertaining Ivana giving her this over the top side which is amusing even if at times the accent she adopts is so heavy you struggle to make out what she is saying.
What this all boils down to is that "Trump Unauthorized" is certainly not the greatest biopic you will ever watch but it is one which is surprisingly entertaining. And with this focusing on Donald Trump's determination and self belief there is something strangely captivating about that side of his story.
