Focusing on the key moments in the visionary’s career like the launch and failure of the Macintosh computer, and Jobs’ return to Apple, Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs holds audiences attention with its smart dialogue and engaging characters.
Steve Jobs is a biographical drama about the midlife of the title character, and how his ideas and products revolutionized the computer industry. Michael Fassbender (X-Men: First Class) does an excellent job of portraying Jobs at his most dire, while Kate Winslet (Titanic), playing his invaluable assistant Joanna Hoffman, is his strong mental and emotional rock.
While mainly focusing on the success and failure that dotted Jobs’ career, the movie also sheds light on his personal issues, as in the early years of his time at Apple he refused to acknowledge Lisa Brennan as his biological daughter. This strained relationship plays a prominent role in the movie as viewers watch Jobs slowly come to terms with reality and his paternal responsibilities.
The majority of the film occurs over the course of three major product releases, those being the Macintosh, NeXT’s NeXTcube, and the iMac. Each of these launches were key in the working life of Steve Jobs as they broke, revitalized and cemented his legacy.
As if written in the form of a stage play, the movie rarely leaves the maze of tunnels that makes up the backstage of a theater. This gives the audience a chance to see just how much went on before these legendary shows, and how intense and emotional the lives of those who worked with Jobs could be. We also get a chance to see how much work went into eliminating Jobs from Apple after the colossal failure of the Macintosh computer, and just how brutal Apple CEO John Sculley, played by Jeff Daniels (The Newsroom) was to Jobs and his visions.
However, Jobs was not always the kindest man to his work force, and was often criticized by his coworkers on how little he actually put into the development of his ideas. One of the film’s best scenes of tension comes when Job’s lead programmer and longtime friend Steve Wozniak confronts him about the validity of his contributions to Apple. Wozniak asks Jobs what he’s really done for the company, to which Jobs replies, “You play the instruments, I play the orchestra.”
While it might not appeal to most, Steve Jobs is a brilliant movie, filled with strong dialogue and acting, an impressive attention to detail, and an important story on the man who kickstarted the home computer revolution.
The Hilights
Movie: Steve Jobs
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Jeff Daniels
Genre: Biographical drama
Rating: 5/5 stars