What topic has gotten more attention over the past year than the election of Donald J. Trump? From his primary run, to his continuing success, to his eventual stunning election night victory: the nation has been captured by Trump’s rise. And with any big story, there comes the inevitable made for TV adaptation of the event.
Director, writer, and camera operator Steve Matthew was tapped for this semi-fictionalization of the Trump saga. This was a huge moment for Matthew’s career. After 25 film credits as head of lighting, and one film credit as gaffer, Matthew finally got a yuge break as the person in charge of Hustler’s in-depth look at the rise of Donald Trump. It’s no wonder Mr. Matthew finally got his shot. Who could forget his lighting work in the 2003 hit, “Hot Showers 8,” or the 2013 XBIZ-nominated film “Mother Superior”?
Of course, Mr. Matthew couldn’t get just any actor to play the POTUS. Hustler’s premier penetration into Trump’s political, and personal, life, was going to require a real star. Some may have expected Alec Baldwin to play the part of the reality TV star turned political titan. The New York Times thought Russell Crowe might step in and play Trump in any televised reproduction of the 2016 campaign. However, Matthew has not gone wrong with the choice to cast experienced star Evan Stone. With 60 lifetime nominations and 21 wins, for movies like “Pulp Friction” and “Pussy a Go Go!,” Mr. Stone plays a vigorously realistic Donald Trump.
With an all-star lead, this novice writer, director, and camera-operator brought the Trump story to TV.
The first scene has us in the Oval Office following Trump’s victory. Melania, Ivanka, and Donald talk around the seating area of the room. Overall, the set direction is fairly good. The viewer really feels like they’re looking at the new president in his office. There are even magazines detailing the Trump rise in the background of the shots, although some seemed to be facsimiles. (One, for example, had a naked Melania on the front next to her husband.) Only someone looking really closely at the background of the scene might notice that a fireplace seems to have been added to the historic office and that a window in the rear appears to look out into a suburban street.
This conversation was just the tip of the spear for Hustler’s groundbreaking discoveries. After thoroughly exploring the very intimate relationship between Donald, Ivanka, and Melania, the movie thrusts the audience into another vital element of the Trump campaign, its choice for the vice president. The never-before-seen details of Trump’s exhaustive vetting of his potential number twos are revealed by the investigative talent at Hustler Productions. The process appeared to start with a standard background check, done off-screen. After passing that, the candidates go through Trump’s personal check: a challenge to prove a candidate’s youthful vitality, demonstrated in the bedroom at the Mar-A-Lago suite. Two Trump staffers tested the talents of Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz in separate performances viewed by the then-Republican nominee, in a contest to see who would be Trump’s running mate. Perhaps as a nod to the investigative reporters at Hustler who discovered this incredible secret, Matthew makes an appearance in the scene as a reporter who has stumbled upon the stunning senatorial scene.
At this point in the screening I attended, much of the audience had already come and gone. There were perhaps four, or five, remaining for the film’s stunning climax: a scene between former vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin and former potential vice-presidential nominee Carly Fiorina. Admittedly, Brittney Amber, of “My Wife Caught Me Assfucking Her Mother 10,” has only a passing resemblance to the former HP CEO. However, her acting portrayal of Fiorina was very accurate, with several references to the famous and infamous moments Fiorina had on the campaign trail, and an extended conversation with Gov. Palin regarding conservative social policy. And while this reviewer is loath to comment on outfit choices, I will mention that the choice to have Amber wear only a miniskirt and 2 pieces of tape seemed at odds with Carly Fiorina’s real life fashion style.
Overall, the movie’s exploration of Trump’s wild ride to the White House was stuffed full with many revelations. While the Trump White House refused to comment for this article, one can imagine staffers at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue have spent some late nights exploring the nooks and crannies of Hustler’s investigative piece for any and all salacious details.
