The Program

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2:18

The Program

R

Released Mar 18, 2016

1h 43m

Biography

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

62%

Tomatometer

112 Reviews

44%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Journalist David Walsh (Chris O'Dowd) of The Sunday Times investigates famed cyclist Lance Armstrong (Ben Foster) for doping.

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Critics Consensus

Ben Foster's impressive efforts to channel Lance Armstrong are often enough to power The Program past director Stephen Frears' frustrating unwillingness to delve deeper into its real-life story.

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Susan Wloszczyna

RogerEbert.com

The flashily photographed enterprise too often becomes a blur of sound bites and slick aesthetics akin to a Nike commercial.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 18, 2016

Full Review

Robert Abele

Los Angeles Times

"The Program" fails to add anything new, or penetrate the soul of so crafty a cheater.

Mar 18, 2016

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Kate Taylor

Globe and Mail

It never goes deep on what it was that produced the awfulness that is Lance Armstrong.

Rated: 2/4

Mar 18, 2016

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

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.

Rated: 3/5

Jul 23, 2025

Full Review

Brendan Cassidy

InSession Film

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

Rated: D+

Jun 17, 2024

Full Review

Brian Eggert

Deep Focus Review

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.

Rated: 2/4

Apr 18, 2022

Full Review

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THE NASHVILLE I

It feels more like a documentary, but it’s nevertheless fascinating to see how the biggest cheating in sports history took place. Foster’s good, but Odowd really brings it together with his subtle humor to balance out the iceman routine from Foster. Maybe not as many tonal peaks as other great dramas, but The Program is absolutey worth at least 1 appointment viewing.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/11/25

Full Review

Gerry M

Biopic about a liar & cheat in cycling? Why would I be interested in that?

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

06/28/24

Full Review

Melissa L

Amazing documentary. Very real and important to watch!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/10/24

Full Review

Simon G

Horrible. Hard to commit to a single compliment about this toilet duck of a movie.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

07/29/23

Full Review

isla s

This is an ok biopic. Its a bit bland and not especially exciting as such, for a sports drama but its, you guessed it, ok. I like Chris O'Dowd, so when I heard he was in it, I wanted to see it. I do like a good biopic and character focussed dramas, so this should have been interesting but it felt just a bit too long drawn out and given its got a running time of slightly under an hour and three quarters long, that does say something. However, there is a decent cast, with Dustin Hoffman and the main character played by Ben Foster, who does give a fairly convincing performance. Lance certainly comes across as a cocky, brash sort of guy. Perhaps its because its based on a true story that it feels a bit uncomfortable but usually I'm quite keen and even find films more compelling if I know their based on true stories but in this case, it just didn't quite feel great but it isn't entirely bad - its watchable and with a good cast, just not at all compelling or memorable really. Overall, unsurprisingly, I wouldn't recommend it, no.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I enjoyed this one and the story it told about one of the largest sports icons in the cycling world in the early 2000s as we look into the life of Lance Armstrong and what happened

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/13/23

Full Review

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Stephen Frears

Director

Ben Foster

Lance Armstrong

Chris O'Dowd

David Walsh

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The Program: Trailer 1

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The Program: International Teaser Trailer 1

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The Program: International Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Journalist David Walsh (Chris O'Dowd) of The Sunday Times investigates famed cyclist Lance Armstrong (Ben Foster) for doping.

Director: Stephen Frears
Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Tracey Seaward, Kate Solomon
Screenwriter: John Hodge
Distributor: Momentum Pictures
Production Co: Anton Capital Entertainment
Rating: R (Language)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 18, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 31, 2016
Runtime: 1h 43m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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