Steve Jobs (2015)

A biography of the famous computer genius (played by Michael Fassbeneder) is played out in three different segments in 1984, 1988, and 1998. All segments involve a product launch with all the backstage tension that precedes presentations before huge audiences.It is interesting that the screenwriter of this film, Aaron Sorkin, also wrote "The Social Network" (2011). Both films were about computer geniuses who had acted terribly toward other people.Both films had the difficulty of making computer science interesting to the many who know little or nothing about it. "The Social Network" succeeded in ways that "Steve Jobs" does not. Mind you, there is less technical jargon needed to describe an interactive website than to describe a series of computers. Still, "The Social Network" used computer jargon as background against the bigger drama of greed and betrayal. "Steve Jobs" is overloaded with technical jargon to the point that it becomes difficult to care.In one scene, Jobs confronts a former boss played by Jeff Daniels. Director Danny Boyle intercuts this scene with a flashback scene between the two that had involved a major conflict. The director and acting were great in this scene but it failed as the detail of their discussions were often difficult to follow.There are many moments when someone is accusing Steve of being a jerk. Even if they may be right, the accusers all seem to be jerks as well. Despite the good acting, it is hard to really like or sympathize with anyone in this film except Steve's biological daughter whose unstable mother frequently wants more money from him.The good team behind this film (which also includes Kate Winslet as Jobs' longtime colleague and friend) make it tempting to like the movie. But overall, it's a well-dressed mannequin.

Every techie knows who Steve Jobs was. That is, they know that he founded Apple Inc., revolutionizing computers. But most people probably don't know Steve Jobs the man. Danny Boyle's Academy Award-nominated 2015 movie "Steve Jobs" is based on Walter Isaacson's biography of the Apple founder. Jobs had authorized the bio, but Isaacson's condition was to get the final say (in that he didn't give the most flattering image of Jobs). It got published right after Jobs's death on 2011.The movie focuses on three major events in Jobs's life: the release of the Macintosh in 1984, the launch of NeXT in 1988, and the unveiling of the iMac in 1998. Accompanying each of these is the issue of Jobs's refusal to provide for an old flame who claims that he's the father of her daughter. In these scenes, he comes across as kind of a nasty person. It was ironic that I watched all this on a MacBook Air.The movie emphasizes these events and relationships; there's no depiction of Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak coming up with the idea for the computer in their garage. I guess that the point is that every icon is bound to have a less-than-venerable side. But seriously, are you gonna get people in this day and age to give up their iPhones just because Steve Jobs wasn't the nicest guy?It was through watching this movie that I learned about most of the other people who were involved in launching the products. I'd heard of Jobs and Wozniak. Joanna Hoffman, Andy Hertzfeld, John Sculley and Andrea Cunningham were new to me. Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Michael Stuhlbarg and Jeff Daniels turned in outstanding performances, as expected. It was surprising to see Seth Rogen in a serious role for a change, since we're used to seeing him play stoners who talk about bodily functions. But he gives it his all here.In the end, I recommend the movie.

STEVE JOBS is an interesting look at the man behind Apple, one of the most successful businesses in history. It sheds light on Steve Jobs' character and reveals the workings of his mind through three set-piece conferences set in various eras important to Apple's history. Michael Fassbender gives a solid enough turn as the man although you can't help but feel that any actor could have done an equal job. Seth Rogen is surprisingly decent as Steve Wozniak while the great Michael Stuhlbarg steals all of his scenes as usual. Danny Boyle's direction threatens to distract at times but he keeps it restrained more often than not. Most interestingly, this is a warts-and-all biopic that shows the ruthlessness of big business in a similar way to THE SOCIAL NETWORK and THE FOUNDER.

Aaron. Sorkin. How this film bombed I will never fully understand. Bio pics rarely work. Where to start? Where to finish? But this structure and storytelling turned it all upside down. In each act, you knew why you were there. You knew what each character wanted. Sorkin and Boyle liberated themselves from chronology, and art finally imitated life as a result. Oh, and every actor NAILED IT. This film reminded me that storytelling matters. Because even Steve Jobs can be boring (Um, hi Ashton.) or brilliant. This time? It was the latter