The Program

The Program is a well-directed, tenacious film with an excellent Ben Foster. The mosaic of Armstrong’s cycling career is put together in skillful, clever and brisk fashion. But in order to win the audience over, it would also need to develop the main character’s personal life. If Armstrong even had any personal life to speak of (meeting his fiancé and the wedding take two minutes and we don’t see her again in the movie, as he lives alone in the house). The film has only one more well-developed character (a fellow cyclist with a conscience), but that’s just a supporting role. And the audience would also like to sympathize with him a little bit… Still, I give The Program four stars for Frears’s and Foster’s professionalism. The film is as precise and unemotional as its main character. (20/10/2015)

It's not a downright bad effort, but I'm bothered by the rushed first third of the story, which clearly calls for further development. And I'm even more disappointed in the utter lack of emotion of the whole narrative. I understand that on the one hand, considering the slimy character of someone like Lance Armstrong, the film portrays, however, at least a slight touch of emotion wouldn't hurt. (55%) (07/01/2021)

The film is truly exhausting in how one-sided it is, but considering that Lance defined himself as a saint for many years, it is a pleasant view. Moreover, I have just realized how deeply everything actually went and how it even looked. I wasn't so interested in the whole affair before. Ben Foster and Chris O'Dowd are excellent! (07/03/2016)

Ben Foster right on target, but otherwise too cold and detached a mosaic, which is shot in the style of Rush, i.e. semi-documentary/semi-fiction, but above all thrilling and energetic, but while aforementioned film, even with its sharp editing and abbreviated narrative at the expense of drama, is spectacular precisely in the way it manages to convey pure, deep emotions in a small space, The Program fails to do so. Lance Armstrong is too cold and inhuman, making it impossible to sympathize with him much or take one thing or another from him. As a documentary, then, it fails in its delivery, as it becomes increasingly cinematic as the minutes tick by. Still, I respect the people behind it, because the subject is quite unique and difficult to film (11/05/2016)