What more can be said about Steve Jobs, the co-founder of
Apple, that hasn’t been said before? The man was one of the main pioneers of
the personal computer revolution when he and fellow co-founder Steve Wozniak
founded Apple Inc. in 1976 and produced the Apple II one year later. After that,
Jobs would go on to develop numerous groundbreaking electronic products from
the iMac to the iPod to the iPhone. He also helped invest in a computer
graphics company when it spun-out from Lucasfilm in 1986; today we know that
company as Pixar. Sadly Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011, leaving behind a
legacy unmatched by many. A major part of that legacy is explored in director
Danny Boyle’s new biopic, ‘Steve Jobs’. This is actually the second Steve Jobs
biopic to come out in the last three years, the other being the 2013 film
‘Jobs’ starring Ashton Kutcher in the lead role. However that film was neither
a critical or commercial success. ‘Steve Jobs’ on the other hand, which stars
Michael Fassbender as Jobs, is a different story. Not only is it directed by an
Oscar-winning director but the screenplay, based off of the official ‘Steve
Jobs’ biography by Walter Isaacson, was written by renowned screenwriter Aaron
Sorkin, writer of the hit TV series ‘The West Wing’ as well as another notable
‘biopic’ based around a technological breakthrough, ‘The Social Network’. The
combined efforts of Boyle and Sorkin produce a highly compelling biopic that is
as well-made as many of the products that its main subject produced.
‘Steve Jobs’ is set up as a three-act story, with each act
of the film focusing on the moments leading up to the launches of three major
products that Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) was associated with. The first
act focuses on the launch of the Apple Macintosh in 1984 following the iconic
‘1984’ commercial that aired during Super Bowl XVIII. The second act of the
film takes place in 1988, after Steve Jobs was removed from the company
following the disappointing commercial performance of the Macintosh. He went on
to found the company ‘NeXT’, which developed the ‘NeXT Computer’ in 1988.
Finally, the film cuts to 1998, after Jobs was reinstated as Apple CEO, as he
prepares to debut the iMac. In each of these three sequences, we see Jobs and
his marketing executive Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) prepare for each event
while Jobs deals with situations involving some of his associates, including
fellow Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen), who continuously requests
that Jobs highlight the Apple II team in his speeches, and then-Apple CEO John
Sculley (Jeff Daniels), whose father-son esque relationship with Jobs starts to
falter when Jobs gets ousted from Apple. But perhaps the most pressing of
dilemmas for Jobs revolves around him eventually trying to take responsibility
as the father of his high school sweetheart Chrisann Brennan’s (Katherine
Waterston) daughter, Lisa (played at different ages by Perla Haney-Jardine,
Ripley Sobo, and Makenzie Moss).
For a film that is basically just three separate sequences showcasing
what happened behind the scenes at product launches, without even showing any
of the actual event itself, ‘Steve Jobs’ is a biopic that never misses a beat
and never once feels repetitive. This is the result of two major forces; Sorkin’s
writing and Boyle’s direction. These two elements help keep the film flowing
smoothly and while Boyle’s artistic directorial style isn’t really on full
display here compared to his other films, there are still quite a few instances
of that style being present throughout. One of the primary examples of this is
the fact that each of the film’s three acts were shot in a different film
format (16mm for 1984, 35mm for 1988, and digital for 1998), which obviously connects
perfectly with the technological advances that Apple achieved over that period
of time. Ultimately though the real highlight of the film is Sorkin’s
screenplay. While it’s been made clear that the film isn’t exactly historically
accurate, that and I’m pretty certain that the dialogue Sorkin wrote wasn’t
actually spoken, Sorkin’s writing helps us delve into the psyche of Jobs, primarily
through his relationships with his co-workers, friends, and family. Not only
that, but each act of the film, though set in different times, all feel
strongly connected thanks to familiar beats that occur in each sequence (e.g.
conversations that Jobs has with specific people).
‘Steve Jobs’ is a prime example of an actor’s showcase, with
each member of the cast shining thanks to the strong writing of Sorkin. There’s
been a lot of talk about how Michael Fassbender doesn’t really look like Steve
Jobs but like with Tom Hanks in ‘Saving Mr. Banks’, it’s more about the actual
performance than whether or not the lead actor/actress looks exactly like the
person they’re portraying. And with that in mind, Fassbender delivers one of
the best performances of the year. As Jobs, Fassbender perfectly captures the
Apple co-founder’s vision and attitude, striving for perfection even if it
means pissing everyone off to get to it. Like Sorkin’s version of Mark
Zuckerberg in ‘The Social Network’, Jobs is someone who can’t be entirely
painted as either a hero or villain. Because like Zuckerberg, he really did
know what he was doing. As many people have pointed out, he was a master
showman and his presentations were the technological equivalent of a rock
concert. It’s just that it results in him being unable to work well with
others. As noted earlier, a lot of the film revolves around the relationship
with Jobs has with various people. We can sense a real brotherhood between Jobs
and Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen, in a rare dramatic turn, provides a more
down-to-earth voice compared to Jobs’ more biting/calculating personality), the
father-son like relationship that Jobs has with John Sculley (Jeff Daniels of
course is a veteran when it comes to Sorkin’s writing having starred in his
series ‘The Newsroom’), and the more personal relationships that Jobs has with
both Joanna Hoffman (Winslet is the film’s other big standout as the only
person who, for the most part, is able to put up with Jobs) and his daughter
Lisa.
Just a quick disclaimer; at the time I am writing this
review I have not seen the 2013 Steve Jobs biopic ‘Jobs’ starring Ashton
Kutcher and given that film’s generally negative reception it’s probably
unlikely that I’ll watch it anytime soon, especially after watching the much
more acclaimed Danny Boyle directed, Aaron Sorkin written version. Suffice it
to say, these two really went above and beyond in this well-made biopic that is
a direct combination of the former’s direction and the latter’s writing talents.
The end result is a highly engrossing biopic that explores the fascinating life
of one of the world’s most famous technological pioneers, just like what Sorkin
did with David Fincher (who at one point was even slated to direct this film)
in ‘The Social Network’, while also showcasing that while he may have been hard
to work with, he was clearly ahead of the curve when it came to knowing where
technology would end up taking us in the future. And while Michael Fassbender may
not look exactly like Steve Jobs, performance-wise he gives it his all
alongside the equally terrific supporting cast. Needless to say, in a few
months you can expect to see this film become a major player during awards
season. Maybe even a few Oscar nominations?
Rating: 4.5/5
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