Steve Jobs

This film tells the story of Steve Jobs developing products for Apple Computers, then his subsequent venture outside Apple then back again as the Apple CEO.

This version of the Steve Jobs rise and fall story may be more truthful than the other film "Jobs", but it does not engage me because I find it full of negative energy. People are bickering all the time, with lots of fights and nasty comments are thrown at each other. Steve is portrayed to be an utterly horrible person, yet there are occasional scenes that are discordant, creating a lack of continuity with the character's personality. The ending seems like a desperate attempt to put some positivity back in, but it just doesn't work for me.

This biopic of Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) centers on three product launches; Apple Macintosh in 1984, NeXT Computer in 1988, and iMac in 1998. Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) is his ever-present right-hand man. John Sculley (Jeff Daniels) is his father figure and CEO of Apple. Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen) is always vying for acknowledgment of the Apple II. Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston) is the mother of Jobs' daughter Lisa. Reporter Joel Pforzheimer follows him throughout.

These are all very interesting performances. Fassbender, Winslet, and Daniels all deliver. Seth Rogen is surprisingly good in a non-comedic role. Waterston is terrific as the baby mama. There is no denying that Aaron Sorkin knows how to write unique dialog but it feels non-real. I believe that this would be one of the best movies of the year if it's about Stephen Jet. Sorkin has written some of the greatest work around like West Wing, Newsroom, and others. They all have a superior to reality feel. This is altered realism but I think everybody is more interested in the actual truth. There are some great scenes. There are big scenes. This is a perfect creation.

Steve Jobs (2015)

*** (out of 4)

Excellent performances highlight this wonderfully written and masterfully directed bio of Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender), a genius who changed the world even though he was unable to see what damage he was doing to those closest to him.

Danny Boyle's direction is spot-on in regards to being able to bring Aaron Sorkin's words to life. As I said, on a technical level the film is a marvel and you're also going to witness one of the greatest performances of the year but at the same time there was just something that didn't sit right. I'm honestly not sure what it was but there was something here that prevented the movie from being what I'd consider great.

I really loved Sorkin's screenplay and especially the dialogue. There's a lot of "intelligent" stuff being talked about and I liked the fact that they really didn't dumb anything down or try to make the film appeal to more mainstream crowds. I really thought the film broke down into four thirty-minute short films with each of them based around a various launch. Each launch also deals with the same thing and that's to show that Jobs really wasn't a very likable guy. Whether it was not being a good father or not being good to the mother of his child, the film doesn't hold back any punches. In fact, STEVE JOBS main goal appears to show how flawed the man was.

The greatest thing about the film is without question the performance from Fassbender. This role was rumored to be with many different actors but Fassbender certainly makes it his own and there's not a single second where you're seeing an actor doing a performance. Even though he doesn't look like Jobs the actor certainly becomes the character and makes you believe everything you're seeing. Kate Winslet is also wonderful in her head-to-head battles with Jobs and I thought her and Fassbender were excellent playing off one another. Seth Rogan and Jeff Daniels are both good in their supporting roles as well.

The film has a terrific, fast-paced style that director Boyle perfectly nails and I thought his directing skills were perfect for the screenplay. As I said, there's a lot of great stuff in this movie but it still fell a bit short of actually being a great movie.

... in that you can argue about almost every stroke in the painting, yet when you stand back a few feet from the work, you realize that this is a more accurate portrayal of Steve Jobs than any photograph could be.

For example, Michael Fassbender looks nothing like Steve Jobs did at any point in his adult life, sounds nothing like Steve Jobs did. Yet, by the end of the film you feel that you are looking right at the man. Why? Because every incident portrayed sounds EXACTLY like something Steve Jobs would have done or said even if the entire incident never happened.

Kate Winsett gave an Oscar worthy performance as Joanna Hoffman, Jobs' marketing expertise and confidante, if he had any confidante at all. She acts as his conscience, his anchor, yet she actually wasn't there for a third of the film. Hoffmann retired before Jobs went back to Apple. As for Seth Rogan as Steve Wosniak, what can I say. He blew me away as he stood toe to toe with Fassbender in a show down that took my breath away with its intensity, and he stole the entire scene from Fassbender, proving he is much more than just the comic relief of Judd Apatow films.

Jeff Daniels as the conventional CEO John Sculley, recruited by Jobs to deal with a most unconventional visionary in a pioneering industry, absolutely nails the part. The scene towards the middle of the film where Sculley and Jobs have it out is a work of art in itself of dialogue, editing, and acting, and the time shifting between the present and various pasts of their relationship is expertly done.

As for the plot? It takes place entirely at three product launches - the Mac in 1984, the NeXT computer in 1988, and the iMac in 1998, and the central theme is Jobs' relationship with his daughter Lisa, the paternity of whom he did not come to terms with for years. Of course, if Jobs had even one product launch like the ones in the film with everybody he's ever known approaching and reproaching him, Jobs would have had security like the secret service at every launch afterwards.

So don't approach this like a documentary, instead approach it like the art it was meant to be and I think you'll enjoy it greatly. And regardless of what others say, I think it gives the most humane portrayal of Jobs I've seen on film. Strongly recommended.

Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution, to paint a portrait of the man at its epicenter. The story unfolds backstage at three iconic product launches, ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac.

Thismay be the most interesting way to tell the story of Steve Jobs. We see almost nothing about his life or who he was, other than what we get from his interactions with his daughter, his assistant and Steve Wozniack. Although it leaves a lot out, it is still surprisingly effective.

And what we have is a very limited arc, from failures to success. We never get beyond 1998, so there is no iPod, iPad, iPhone or any of the things that have since made Apple a giant in the tech field. But again, this makes for some interesting storytelling.