A Tale of Two Jobs
I wasn’t sure what to expect going into “Steve Jobs”, the newest biopic about the Apple mogul. The only past film to reference was the mediocre 2013 “Jobs” starring Ashton Kutcher, but the newest iteration film mixes up the normal formula by taking a few major risks that all pay off.
First of all, writer Aaron Sorkin (“A Few Good Men”, “The Social Network”, ”Money Ball”) attempts to tell the tale of Jobs’ darker backstage personality by splitting the movie into three distinct segments. Each segment showcases three iconic product launches.
The first is the early 1980s reveal of the Macintosh computer, with Jobs struggling to manage multiple last-minute issues, such as trying to get the computer to say hello, where Jobs reveals his need to impress the world, going so far as changing the parts in the computer to make it work. The Macintosh fails to meet its sales and eventually leads to Jobs getting fired.
The second segment shows the late 1980s launch of the NeXT computer, marketed towards educators and libraries, which met mixed responses and ultimately sold poorly.
The third and final segment details the 1998 reveal of the iMac and Jobs’ realizations about his relationships with former co-workers and family members, when he realizes the opinion of him isn’t exactly sterling when his co-workers are talking about him.
Each of the segments are connected by Jobs’ family struggles and his mistreatment of co-workers, with all of the previous act tying together in a plot twist that is wonderfully set up and incredibly rewarding for the audience
Michael Fassbender is fantastic in the titular role of Steve Jobs, and he captures the dark, methodical, calm and wonderfully diabolical personality of the tech genius. Throughout most of the movie, he keeps his intelligent, calculating and disturbingly realistic narcissism, but knows when to break the facade and showcase Jobs’ infamous breakdowns.
Seth Rogan also does an amazing job playing Steven Wozniak, Jobs’ former confidant who is a polar opposite. Where Jobs is narcissistic, cold, and willing to do anything to convince the public that he will change the world, Wozniak is friendlier and more honest. Several of the scenes that show a fallout between Wozniak and Jobs are wonderfully tense and seething with unspoken anger.
Jobs’ secretary and general assistant, Joanna Hoffman (played by Kate Winslet), is one of Jobs’ only true friends, and the chemistry between them is extremely well done. Winslet plays the role with an elegance that establishes her as a moral balance between herself and Jobs.
The movie injects just enough humour to keep it from turning into a two hour shame-fest, but still forces the audience to understand that Jobs’ ego was a vice that threatened to destroy relationships with his family and friends and, ultimately, his own mental stability.
Overall, “Steve Jobs” is a wonderful film, and on of the best movies I've seen this year. While it’s incredibly short on action (there is none), it has incredibly diverse, three-dimensional characters that are all well established and brilliantly played by the star-studded cast.
If you’re interested in seeing “Steve Jobs”, it is playing in Lincoln theatres, with its next showtimes being Nov. 1-4.
Photo Courtesy of Warner Brothers
