The Program | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

61% Tomatometer 111 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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The Program

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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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Critics Reviews

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The Program | Rotten Tomatoes (1) 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 The Program | Rotten Tomatoes (2) Robert Abele Los Angeles Times "The Program" fails to add anything new, or penetrate the soul of so crafty a cheater. Mar 18, 2016 Full Review The Program | Rotten Tomatoes (3) 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 The Program | Rotten Tomatoes (4) 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 The Program | Rotten Tomatoes (5) 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 The Program | Rotten Tomatoes (6) Ian Brill Battleship Pretension 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." Apr 13, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Gerry M Biopic about a liar & cheat in cycling? Why would I be interested in that? Rated 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 06/28/24 Full Review Melissa L Amazing documentary. Very real and important to watch! Rated 5/5 Stars • 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 0.5/5 Stars • Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 07/29/23 Full Review Anthony C The bedside manner of the doctors in this movie is ridiculous. Lance you have testicular cancer, so we need to chop one off and put you on intensive chemo. Not even a breath between it.Next scene is the surgeon drilling into his skull, erm my testicles aren't there, is that normal? Then as coming out of general anaesthetic they say its either the cancer that wins or you.Total joke, turned off after that Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 07/22/23 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 2.5/5 Stars • 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 3.5/5 Stars • Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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Cast & Crew

Stephen Frears Director Ben Foster Lance Armstrong Chris O'Dowd David Walsh Guillaume Canet Medecin Michele Ferrari Jesse Plemons Floyd Landis Lee Pace Bill Stapleton
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The Program

The Program: Trailer 1 The Program: Trailer 1 2:18 The Program: International Teaser Trailer 1 The Program: International Teaser Trailer 1 1:31 The Program: International Trailer 1 The Program: International Trailer 1 2:10 View more videos

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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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The Program | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

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