The Program
Reception

The Program (2015)

Back to record

External reception

6.5
5 platform(s) · 7 ratings 23,461 votes
6.5/10 2,285 votes Synced 2026-08-01
6.5/10 20,604 votes Synced 2026-08-20
Audience 6.4/10 20 votes Synced 2026-07-19
Critics 5.3/10 Synced 2026-07-19
Audience 4.4/10 Synced 2026-07-18
Critics 6.2/10 Synced 2026-07-18
6.4/10 552 votes Synced 2026-07-24

External reviews

Sara Stewart · New York Post 63.00/100.00

It’s basically a narrative spin on Alex Gibney’s 2013 documentary “The Armstrong Lie,” only with less cycling footage. This is a plus for those of us easily bored by such things (so many interchangeable mountain passes and neon jerseys!), but there isn’t a ton of new material here.

synced 2026-07-19
Jared Mobarak · The Film Stage 67.00/100.00

Despite my enjoyment in this turning of the tables to focus on our being duped rather than his being found out, The Program has its failures.

synced 2026-07-19
Roger Moore · Movie Nation 75.00/100.00

The Program wisely hangs on Foster’s fierce performance, transforming himself into Lance.

synced 2026-07-19
Gregory Ellwood · Hitfix 75.00/100.00

The film is at its best when the storyline gets dangerously real and Bullock’s character struggles to justify the back room king making of a campaign with the needs of the country’s poor majority.

synced 2026-08-12
Nev Pierce · Empire 80.00/100.00

The inside track on one of sport’s biggest scandals, nimbly shot and sharply scripted, powered by an outstanding performance from Ben Foster and the quiet integrity of Chris O’Dowd.

synced 2026-07-19
Andrew Lowry · Total Film 80.00/100.00

This fearless reconstruction drives home the dark lie that Lance Armstrong lived – it’s just a pity it doesn’t dig a little deeper.

synced 2026-07-19
Dave Calhoun · Time Out London 80.00/100.00

The Program offers no obvious new revelations and Armstrong remains elusive – but it has an unsettling air that carries us through its more pedestrian patches.

synced 2026-07-19
Catherine Shoard · The Guardian 80.00/100.00

It’s a fluid and nippy telling of a tale that still seems strangely urgent.

synced 2026-07-19
Tim Robey · The Telegraph 60.00/100.00

You sense structural uncertainty about what the Armstrong saga connotes and how exactly it was begging to be told. But you can’t take your eyes off Foster.

synced 2026-07-19
Matthew Anderson · CineVue 60.00/100.00

It must be said that Foster - who adhered to the actual doping program during filming - 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.

synced 2026-07-19

lwl community

Community reviews

Your Review

Sign in to write reviews, reply to threads, and like content.

Community Reviews (0)