Steve Jobs

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.

I remember when back in 2013 the Jobs movie came out. Everything about the film's trailer was "do not see". Still to this day the moment when Kutcher says "we're making Apple cool again" makes me laugh. Right from the start this film looked like they were going to do it right and I was anxiously waiting for it. And even though Steve Jobs wasn't everything I thought it would be it is still a quality drama.

Yet I can also see why it was not so commercially successful. It's weird format of taking place before three computer unveilings and the film essentially consisting of conversations with limited action between them. It is by no means a biography of the man's entire life but it does paint a portrait which, like any picture, only reveals some aspects of the person.

The film has a great cast who give solid performances. Michael Fassbender creates a character whose tyrannical and devilish behaviour you want to keep watching while longing for a glimpse of the human side.

Overall Steve Jobs is a very watchable and engaging film, provided you are already into end of the year Oscar bait drama films.

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.

Steve Jobs fails to explode off the screen like The Social Network or Charlie Wilson's War did. There's all the things to love about Aaron Sorkin's writing and the acting is terrific, but Sorkin's screenplay lacks the enjoyable bite of his previous efforts and the whole thing comes off rather lacklustre.

On the film's highlights - Fassbender leaps off the screen in the first two minutes and never lets go. He looks nothing like Jobs himself did but he perfectly captures the frustrating ego that everyone loathed and matches it with high spirit and a bit of humour. His condescension is so real that we snarl at it. Winslett also makes her mark very early on, nailing an accent and vanishing into the part of Johanna. Her chemistry with Fassbender is palpable. Seth Rogen crushes the role of Steve Wozniak, a casting choice I've been thrilled about since 2014, nailing the low self-esteem and nervous ticks of the nerdy genius. Watching Rogen perform we can see his anger but also the slight plea for their friendship to endure. We all know that one friend who feels like they're doing us a favour by being friends with us, and watching Fassbender and Rogen banter back and forth we can see it in real time. Jeff Daniels rounds out the four-person highlight as Apple's CEO, and truly stands out as a great supporting player.

Probably the most talked about feature of Steve Jobs is the three-act narrative filmed in different styles. Its been reported on a million times and all I'll say is I loved it. The transition between the three events are also clever, montages of real media reports and pictures. There's even a very cleverly used Simpsons gag that helps inform the audience. I also loved the playful score and the cinematography that emulates the walk and talk of the West Wing.

The screenplay is Steve Jobs' greatest aider and abetter. The film's best scenes are written masterpieces - two fights between Jobs and Wozniak in particular take your breath away, a harsh comment where Jobs cuts down his 5 year old girl's beliefs are harsh, the recurring references to Jobs' adoption are clever and the two Andys joke is a nice funny recurring gag. However, Sorkin's screenplay at times feels like a textbook, and with so many words floating around its easy to lose track of what's happening. Some of the lines of dialogue are so pretentious its easy to get taken out of the film. It's also annoying to see Sorkin recycle his classic Sorkinisms "Don't talk to me like I'm other people" and "well one day you'll have to tell us how you did it". When you've seen them a couple of times, they lost impact right where they're needed most. Sadly, Sorkin starts to get too smart for his own good.

I didn't care much for the story arc Jobs went on. He is vehemently opposed to being Lisa's father and hurts the little girl by saying the computer was not named after her. Then all of a sudden he's a caring father and the girl's mother (played wonderfully by Katharine Waterston) is portrayed as the film's villain. In the final act, Jobs has a very clunky reconciliation on the rooftop and says things that simply don't fit right with the story.

There's a lot of talent involved in this movie that I really wanted to love. Fassbender and his co-stars all do exceptional work and Sorkin delivers a number of wonderful scenes, but at the end of the day I can't help but walk away feeling like Jeff Daniels' character, mourning for the things that could've been achieved.

Review: Everything that I have seen and heard about Steve Jobs, portrays him as an over controlling man with a bad attitude but you can't fault him for his amazing vision which has taken over the world. After his tragic death in 2011, at the age of 56, his company has still grown from strength to strength but his questionable methods and warped way of thinking, must have been difficult for the people around. Anyway, from an entertainment point of view, this film seemed very one toned and it felt like a group of conversations more than an deep insight behind the genius. The way that he talked to people and used vindictive tactics to get what he wanted, was truly horrible and he didn't really care about people's feelings. Even his daughter struggled to retain a decent relationship with Jobs but it was good to see that his trustee companion, Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet), had the ability to bring him back to earth. Michael Fassbender played his role extremely well alongside Seth Rogen (Steve Wozniak) and Kate Winslet but the storyline seemed messy and I would have liked to have seen Steve Jobs, in his earlier years. I also would have liked to have seen real footage of the individuals that were in the movie and they should have shown how Apple has changed the world today. I still enjoyed watching how he built his company and the relationship between Jobs and his daughter, Lisa, who he disowned in her early years but I don't think that his amazing story has been portrayed with much depth to date. If I was his close friend or a part of his family, I wouldn't be happy with the way that these movies have portrayed Jobs, because none of them show his good side. Maybe he didn't have one! Anyway, it's a watchable movie but I was expecting more from this top class director. Watchable!

Round-Up: Although Fassbender didn't look anything like Steve Jobs, over the 14 year period that the movie portrays, he still brought enormous intensity to the character, who seemed quite scary to be around. The music throughout the movie, suited the mood that was set by the director, Danny Boyle, 59 but I didn't quite understand why the whole film is based backstage, before Jobs is going to release a new computer. You can tell that Boyle has taken the events from a book, because it seemed more like a play than a movie. What's quite fascinating about the film, is that it proves that Jobs actually wasn't the engineer behind the many devices that was released under the Apple name but it was his unique vision and determination to get what he wanted, which has proved to be EXTREMELY successful. I was hoping to get more from the movie but I personally think that I need to watch the many documentaries to find out more about the mind behind the Apple brand.

Budget: $30million Worldwide Gross: $35million

I recommend this movie to people who are into their biography/dramas starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg and Katherine Waterston. 6/10