Steve Jobs The Jobs Biopic We Need And Deserve

Steve Jobs is another one of those movies that, on paper, may not seem like it would work, but thanks to fantastic filmmakers, it turns into a great project. Focusing on just three key moments in the life of its eponymous lead, played by Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs is a movie that manages to somehow convey to the audience a significant amount of complexity, a staggering amount of depth, and more than enough humor to make this idea pay off. As a result, Steve Jobs winds up being one of the best movies of the year, and may have you looking at the American icon in a different way after it concludes – depending on the amount of research you’d done on his life before seeing it, of course. The film takes us backstage into the hours before three key product launches in Jobs’ life. The first was the Macintosh in 1984, followed by the NeXT box in 1988, and finally the iMac in 1998. Each segment is given approximately the same amount of time, although apart from a few practice scenes, we don’t get to see the presentations. Instead, we focus on what happened behind the scenes. Jobs was a tough person with whom to get along, and that’s demonstrated clearly from the opening scene to the last. Because of this, his relationships with various individuals were complicated, to say the least. As we progress through the years, we get to see how these relationships played out, and the impact they had on each individual involved. If Fassbender’s Jobs wasn’t such an enigmatic, if flawed, character, we might take greater notice of Kate Winslet, who, like a chameleon, vanishes into her role of Joanna Hoffman. With a dark wig and a Polish accent, you could be forgiven for not even noticing that it’s someone as famous and well-known as Winslet. When was the last time she was this good? Meanwhile, Seth Rogen of all people is great as Steve Wozniak. That might be the film’s biggest surprise. Jeff Daniels is reliable as John Sculley, Katherine Waterston needed more to do as Chrisann Brennan, and the various actors playing Jobs’ daughter do well, too. For a movie that consists almost solely of smart people talking to one another, Steve Jobs is surprisingly funny and entertaining. It’s informative and will keep you thinking, too, but just as a pure form of entertainment, it’s great. Boyle infuses the movie such an energy; the characters are always moving and doing two or three things at once. Sorkin’s scripts are known for a specific brand of humor, and you get lots of it here. But you also get a ton of character depth, a great deal of focus on the relationships between various individuals, and a complex portrait of Steve Jobs. He’s neither hero nor villain; the movie’s too intelligent to paint in such absolute shades. Steve Jobs is the Steve Jobs biopic to watch, letting you easily forget another one that is better off not being mentioned ever again. Despite taking place well into Jobs’ adult life, and being set in just three days, this is a movie that gets you into the man’s head, lets you watch his interactions with all of the key players in his life, and provides a funny, entertaining movie while balancing all of these various elements. Michael Fassbender is electric, Kate Winslet disappears into her role, and the rest of the supporting cast is excellent. Steve Jobs is a great movie, saving the weekend of October 23rd from being a complete waste solely by its expansion. Bottom Line: A fantastic biopic, Steve Jobs takes you into the world of a genius. Recommendation: Anyone with any interest in anyone involved – from the real-life people, to the actors, to those behind the camera – should see Steve Jobs. [rating=4.5]