Steve Jobs

To understand just how much of a mystery Apple founder Steve Jobs is, one only needs to look at the number of films that have tried to figure him out. There have been documentaries, one feature film led by Ashton Kutcher (it wasn't as bad as it sounds) and only a couple of years later we have Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle's Steve Jobs, a brilliant, rapid-fire examination of parenthood, ego, and maniacal genius told in a refreshingly innovative way that Jobs himself would have loved.

Split into three distinct chapters covering three of Jobs' biggest product launches, Sorkin uses this three-act-play structure to also explore key facets of personal and professional life. While much of the film is based on Walter Isaacson's book, Sorkin does what he has always done which is extrapolate wildly, giving an approximation of Jobs as megalomaniacal madman and brilliant virtuoso. Michael Fassbender tackles the role of Jobs and, let's be honest; the two look nothing alike. But that's actually a good thing; a little bit of distance from the reality is what's called for here. And yet Fassbender melts into the role so easily that you soon forget the difference and embrace his version, which presents Jobs as a calculating, cold-hearted douchebag, someone who disregards the people in his life in favor of press clippings about his own greatness.

And yet Jobs suffers one public and personal disgrace after another, but what's interesting is how he copes and manipulates these failures to suit his warped perspective. Much is made about the "reality distortion field" that surrounds him; anything and anyone that doesn't fit into the view he's constructed are callously disregarded. The first chapter takes place minutes prior to the Macintosh launch in 1984, just days after that incredible '1984' Super Bowl ad. In a comical turn of events that will be repeated throughout the film, Jobs is confronted with conflicts both big and small, but it's his perception of which is which that is fascinating. He can obsesses of a TIME magazine article that doesn't feature him on the cover, while barely considering the presence of his ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston) who needs help taking care of their daughter Lisa (played through different periods by Makenzie Moss, Ripley Sobo, and Perla Haney-Jardine), a child he denies paternity of. Meanwhile, the Mac launch is looking like a potential disaster and chief engineer Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg) is out of ideas on how to fix it, while Jobs' right-hand-woman Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) runs around like a chicken with her head cut off.

If it sounds like a maddening screwball comedy that's for a good reason; Sorkin's screenplay runs at the same kind of frantic pace with plenty of his trademark "walking and talking". You learn about these characters on the fly, and the beauty of Sorkin's screenplay is how much information about them he packs in without pausing to take a breath. Prior conversations are referred to later on, taking on a different, richer meaning that illuminates our understanding of each character further. None more so than Seth Rogen as the underappreciated Steve Wozniak, who founded Apple with Jobs and yearns for some kind of recognition, not from the media but from his longtime friend. There's also Jeff Daniels as Apple CEO John Sculley, whose status as a "father figure" to Jobs puts him in a perilous position. Daniels, who worked with Sorkin on HBO's The Newsroom, fares better than anyone handling the rat-a-tat speed of the dialogue.

The following chapters take place in 1988 before the launch of the mega-flop NeXT device, which is basically just a really pretty black cube that does nothing, followed by the 1998 debut of the IMac, which would revitalize Jobs' career at Apple. Boyle, along with cinematographer Alwin H. Küchler (Sunshine) give each era its own defined look perfect for the era, going from 16mm to 35mm and ultimately digital in the later period. The upbeat pace of Sorkin's screenplay makes beautiful music with Boyle's kinetic tempo, but it should be said this is probably one of the filmmaker's more reserved efforts from a visual standpoint. That said; he throws in some sweet touches, sprucing up a hallway conversation with footage from a shuttle launch emblazoned on the surrounding walls.

While all of the performances are top notch, there are two unquestioned stars that stand out above the rest. One is obviously Fassbender, who undoubtedly has awards nominations in his future for it. Those who want to underestimate him even at this stage will think differently afterwards. It's a tough role to master, given that Jobs is presented as being so unfeeling and cruel, but Fassbender also captures the charisma that inspired so much loyalty. The other breakout is Sorkin, and this is unquestionably his movie. It was his screenplay that initially attracted David Fincher for a potential The Social Network reunion, and maybe the film would have looked noticeably different under his guidance but it still would have been Sorkin's. No screenwriter leaves the kind of immediate imprint that Sorkin does; you know within moments that you're watching one of his movies. All of his flaws are present, as well, including an overly sentimental finale that simply doesn't mesh with the rest of the film. Emotional restraint has never been Sorkin's strong suit; it's always all or nothing and for the most part that works in the film's favor, but the resolution of the father/daughter subplot is simply too contrived and feels out of place.

Minor issues aside, Steve Jobs is an exhilarating, heart-stopping experience, something you probably wouldn't expect to hear of a film about Apple computers. There will likely be other films about Jobs that will attempt to decode who the man really was, but guaranteed none of them will be quite like this one.

"Steve Jobs" (2015 release; 122 min.) is the latest movie about Steven Jobs. As the movie opens, we see archive TV footage of Arthur C. Clarke describing how he think the computer will dominate life in 2001. We then switch to "1984, Cupertino, CA, Macintosh Launch", where we see Jobs arguing with everyone to get the voice demo fixed. "It needs to say Hello, because it can", Jobs observes. At this point we are 10 minutes into the movie but to tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from director Dannie "Slum Millionaire" Boyle, with a script from Aaron "The Social Network" Sorkin. The movie credits note that this is "Based on the book Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson", but it is more accurate to say this is loosely inspired by the book, as the movie is almost nothing like the book. In fact, the movie only has three specific 'chapters' (the Macintosh launch in 1984, the NeXT box launch in 1988, and the iMac launch in 1998), although certain other pivotal moments are brought in flashbacks. The impression created by Doyle and Sorkin is that Jobs was an impossible guy to deal with, refusing to recognize his daughter Lisa (even though there was a 94% certainty he was her dad), for whom in the end "the product" was everything, to the exclusion of anything else. I have no idea whether this is a correct reflection of Jobs, or an exaggerated one. But it makes for a heck of a movie. I must admit I was skeptical going in whether this was a good movie, but I was sadly mistaken. Michael Fassbinder is outstanding as Steve Jobs (even while lacking the physical resemblance), and maybe even better is Kate Winslet, virtually unrecognizable as Joanna Hoffman, Steve's confidant at the company. I thought Seth Rogen was equally fine as Steve Wozniak. Last but not least, there is a terrific soundtrack, courtesy of up-and-coming movie composer Daniel Pemberton. (There are also a number of Dylan songs, including "Shelter From the Storm" over the movie's end titles, reflecting Jobs' admiration for Dylan.)

A few years ago there was a movie called "Jobs" (starring Ashton Kutchner), which is a very different movie altogether. It is a more traditional bio-pic, while "Steve Jobs" is anything but that. "Jobs" was readily dismissed as lightweight even by those who hadn't seen it, in part because of Kutchner, and that is a real shame, as he gave the performance of his life in that role, and it is a interesting movie. That said, having seen both movies, it is now clear to me that of the two, "Steve Jobs" is the better movie, period. But I would encourage you to seek out "Jobs" if you haven't seen it yet.

"Steve Jobs" expanded nationally this weekend, and the early evening screening where I saw this at here in Cincinnati was attended nicely, but was by no means a sell-out. From all I can tell, the audience really liked the movie, and I think with strong word-of-mouth. "Steve Jobs" will do quite well, also when the award nomination season starts later this year and into early 2016. Jobs was a one-of-a-kind person, and this movie certainly does not shy away from showing the lesser side of Jobs. "I'm poorly made", admits Jobs. "Steve Jobs" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The fact this was overlooked at the Oscars outside of Michael Fassbender and Kate Winslet, who are both fantastic, is kind of criminal really. This may be one of the sharpest written and most insightful biopics in a year full of great biopics. Structured like a three act play, focused on the behind the scenes life of everyone's favorite megalomaniac Apple mogul, it's less a strictly by the numbers examination and more a figurative representation of what Steve Jobs meant both as an individual and as a figurehead of an important development period in technology. We get this through incredibly snappy dialogue, a stellar ensemble cast, terrific production value and an assured direction from Danny Boyle that always keeps things moving no matter what is happening on screen.

Do yourself a favor and even if you don't think this if your movie, watch the trailer and give this a shot if this sounds like your thing. It will be well worth your time as a film goer and it's just flat out entertaining to watch unfold.

This is an odd way to do a biography and was more of a chracter study with flashbacks. The film is divided into three basic scenes and if you are concerned about PLOT SPOILERS don't read on, but I will be gentle. The first 35 minutes of the film is a behind the scenes look at the roll out of the MAC computer. We meet Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) his "work wife" and right arm. We also meet his daughter Lisa and her mother (Katherine Waterston) along with the major characters at Apple. The next 40 minutes is a behind the scenes look at the roll out of the Cube, and again we get more chracter study of Steve (Michael Fassbender) and more flashbacks...and some more of Lisa. The rest of the film jumps to 1998 and behind the scenes look at roll out of I-MAC and more of Lisa.

If you want a biography and a film most people can easily digest the Ashton Kutcher film is superior. This film has some aspects for the technology based audience as well as those who are curious about the unusual father-daughter relationship that Jobs maintained. Steve Jobs is portrayed as an intense individual who is a perfectionist, condescending and difficult to work with. I think I said that politely.

This film won't have universal appeal but had great performances.

Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

When I first saw this movie, I was not impressed. This movie was clearly not doing an accurate portrayal of the history of Steve Jobs, at least as told by Walter Isaacson in his authorized biography. Then, film buff that I am, I started researching the details behind the making of this movie.

(Please see commentary section for further details)

The movie originated from Sony's purchase of the movie rights to Isaacson's book, but ultimately the screenplay by Aaron Sorkin was based hugely on the ONE INTERVIEW that Isaacson was unable to get for his book - with Steve Jobs's first child, Lisa Brennan-Jobs.

Other people that consulted or otherwise tried to influence the movie had a major influence on Sorkin's screenplay.

Sorkin's screenplay gives voice to only a few key players in the life of Steve Jobs - Lisa Brennan-Jobs is the centerpiece of this story - but Steve Wozniak, John Scully, Andy Hertzfeld, Joanna Hoffman, and Andrea Cunningham all give voice to their thoughts and feelings about Steve Jobs and play prominent roles in this movie - this movie is their story as well. If you google them and find the ORIGINAL interviews that some of them gave to the news media about this movie (not the short out-of-context distorted and negative quotes posted on various highly pro-Apple and pro-Steve Jobs websites) the key players interviewed by Sorkin all loved the way the movie came out, even if the actual historical details got mashed up, mainly because Sorkin was faithful to their feelings and thoughts about Steve Jobs.

The Hollywood Reporter article also explains the glaringly obvious missing pieces of the Steve Jobs story - his wife Laurene Powell-Jobs, and their three children. As is clear from the article, she tried her best to kill the movie, which pretty much explains this black hole elephant-in-the-room of this movie.

Chrisann Brennan apparently had her lawyers fight against certain details of her portrayal in the movie, and the portrait of her life and fights with Steve Jobs is thus toned down, but this bit is much less obvious.

The biggest take-away I got from from this movie, and afterwards finding out that Sorkin had extensively interviewed Lisa Brennan-Jobs was that, yeah, Lisa Brennan-Jobs had a far more complex and tortured relationship with Steve Jobs than even what had already come out previously, and that what was depicted in the movie had to have come from her.

Whatever else this movie is in the various histories and hagiographies of Steve Jobs, this is Lisa's story.