Don Shanahan Every Movie Has a Lesson Jul 23, 2025 3/5

When this shiny penny is turned over, the film's kinetic racing ends and it reveals its dichotomy to dive into the seedy and troubled backstory of drug abuse, rampant doping, investigative journalism, and immense hidden cover-up.

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Brendan Cassidy InSession Film Jun 17, 2024 D+

There is no resonance, no arc, no drama, and worst of all, no point.

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Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review Apr 18, 2022 2/4

The Program feels uneven, as though it couldn't decide whether to be a dramatically reenacted exposé of Armstrong's lies or a standard drama.

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Ian Brill Battleship Pretension Apr 13, 2021

The Program could have been an inoffensive and forgettable effort, but is saved by Armstrong and Plemmons providing distinct and competing portrayals of what it really means to "win at all costs."

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David Walsh World Socialist Web Site Feb 11, 2021

The Program is an efficiently told and effectively made work. Frears knows how to direct actors by this time, and there is hardly a false note. The filmmakers treat the Armstrong saga as a modern crime story.

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Richard Crouse Richard Crouse Feb 3, 2021 2/5

The biopic of disgraced Tour de France racer Lance Armstrong begins like a fairy tale, although one with doping and cancer, but ends as a Shakespearean tragedy.

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Rachel Brook One Room With A View Apr 19, 2019 4/5

It may not take a groundbreaking approach to biographical drama, but Frears' The Program draws strong performances...

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Matthew Anderson CineVue Apr 8, 2019 3/5

It must be said that Foster excels as Armstrong. Bearing an unnerving physical resemblance to the fallen cycling hero, he is a revelation in a remarkable tour de force -- not France -- performance.

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Abbie Bernstein Assignment X Nov 1, 2018 B

The Program is never less than interesting, and the cast is high-caliber. However, the movie makes us want to know more, rather than come away with the sense that we've been through an experience ourselves.

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Camilla Long Sunday Times (UK) Jan 5, 2018 3/5

Foster, though, delivers a strong and convincing performance, and I could watch films about Armstrong and his evil machinations for ever. This one may fail to unearth many of his mysteries, but it is a confident, if understated, offering.

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Matt Wolf The Arts Desk Nov 21, 2017 4/5

The abiding achievement of the film rests throughout with Foster, who can shift on a dime from the charismatic to the repellent and whose Armstrong is at his most grimly compelling when engaged in an ongoing commentary with himself.

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Reagan Gavin Rasquinha The Times of India Nov 7, 2017 3/5

The Program can be viewed as especially relevant, given that doping in sport is coincidentally, in the news again.

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Rachit Gupta Filmfare Oct 30, 2017

All said and done, if you want to gain a perspective on what went wrong in Armstrong's professional pursuits, this film is worth a watch. But if you have plans of discovering more about the man himself, we'll just have to wait for a more solid reboot.

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Matthew Bond The Mail on Sunday (UK) Oct 26, 2017 3/5

Poor Ben Foster is on a truly thankless mission playing such an unlikeable character. But the film does just about get there in the end, helped by some shocking scenes and the sheer power of the underlying story.

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Joanne Soh The New Paper (Singapore) Sep 21, 2017 2/5

There is never a moment that makes you understand Armstrong's motivations. Every plot point is dealt in a business-like manner.

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Paul Whitington Irish Independent Dec 5, 2016 4/5

The Program is a drama, not a documentary, which allows it to flesh out the bones of this story into something approaching a minor Shakespearean tragedy.

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Lisa Rosman Signature Sep 13, 2016

[Foster] has admitted to a certain admiration for Armstrong. This is evident in the compassion built into his portrayal, which adds complexity to the slick veneer of Frears's obvious antipathy for his subject.

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Ernesto Diezmartinez Cine Vértigo Aug 23, 2016 2/4

Basically the same as The Armstrong Lie documentary but with less cycling scenes and the repulsive but appealing performance from Ben Foster.[Full review in Spanish]

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Alberto Acuña Cinema Movil Aug 15, 2016 2.5/5

It's a shame Frears didn't fully approach the character and its subjects as expected. [Full review in Spanish]

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Fernanda Solórzano Letras Libres Aug 8, 2016

The movie makes great use of the journalistic work of Dave Walsh to create intimate moments that help understand the main character's motivations. [Full review in Spanish]

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