A Great Innovative Film about a Great Innovator

Rating: 10/10 (30 October 2015)

(Rating: ☆☆☆☆ out of 4)
This film is highly recommended.
In brief: An innovative biography that celebrates the power of words.
GRADE: A-
It is the words that speak louder than the actions in Danny Boyle's beautifully made film, Steve Jobs. The set-up of this character study avoids the biographical clichés that befall many in this genre. The art of the conversation and the poetic phrasing of the words created in Aaron Sorkin's perceptive script delineate each character brilliantly and directly defines their relationships. The movie succeeds in large part to the fine direction and a literate screenplay that elevates the film to an higher level of excellence that is rarely equaled in today's cinema.
￼Steve Jobs is divided into three very distinct chapters in Job's life and it is staged like a three act play: the introduction of MacIntosh personal computer (1984), the selling of his NeXT computer (1988), and the launch of the infamous IMac, his redemption project (1998). The film is a tad too theatrical in its presentation, although the director tries to camouflage this limited format with stylish imagery and archival footage that act as exposition between chapters.
Meant to resemble Citizen Kane in its concept: the story of one man's success and its corrupting influence of power and greed, the film is a worthy imitation. Where that film took the story of William Randolph Hearse and created a fictional character and plot that was thinly disguised from the real life counterpart, with names changed to protect the filmmaker, Orson Welles from a libel suit. Steve Jobs, the movie, welcomes the analogy and doesn't care to hide any pretense of this modern day successful corporate CEO's life.
￼Based of Walter Isaacson's best-selling biography, the film vividly depicts Jobs as a smart but unpleasant human being, willing to hurt anyone who attempts to connect to him emotionally. This includes his estranged daughter, Lisa. Again, it is Sorkin's dueling dialog that is razor sharp and fast as usual which impresses, as does the superior ensemble of actors involved.
Seth Rogen plays Steve Wozniak, a former friend and colleague who supported Job's many innovative ideas and wasn't afraid to say no to the man, A terrific Kate Winslet is Apple's head of marketing and Job's loyal Girl Friday. Katherine Waterston plays Chrisann Brennan, his ex- girlfriend and mother to his illegitimate daughter whom Jobs refused to acknowledge for most of her life, It is this fractured relationship that becomes the crux of the film and a sage method to inject some humanism into this cold remote loner. Jeff Daniels is John Sculley, the father figure that Jobs admired most of his life and Michael Stuhlbarg subtly impersonates Andy Hertzfeld, his technical assistant whom he repeatedly mistreats. All are superb.
￼Boyle's only misstep, and it is a major one, is his decision not to use any prosthetics and hair or make-up design to try to emulate Job's physical features. Michael Fassbender doesn't look anything like the man (until the film's final section), which I found to be a overt weakness in the role of a real iconic personality. (Life can be unfair, but not that unfair. Jobs may have been a gifted genius, but he never had this actor's handsomeness too!) The lack of physical attributes interferes with a strong central performance and kept me at a slight distance from the character. The transformation seemed incomplete, although Fassbender has enough charisma and gravitas to make us believe in the ruthless character he is portraying, just not in Steve Jobs, the actual man.
￼The actor shows Job's abusive and competitive nature full throttle as he subjects his co- workers and family to his self indulgent whims and petty rages. Job's drive for fame and his lust for perfectionism in an imperfect world show this unhappy man front and center, as written. But Mr. Fassbender effectively delivers the many complex speeches with great passion and aplomb. (Ashton Kutcher, who played Jobs in an earlier film, actually looks more like the title character than this actor, but it is Fassbender's interpretation of the role that essentially captures the inner flaws of a man unable to feel any real emotion.) It is a fearless performance.
￼Steve Jobs takes this arrogant control freak and savvy businessman and creates an in-depth character study that becomes riveting drama in the expert hands of its talented filmmakers. This is one of the year's best films and its eloquent screenplay is perfection. Do not miss this film. It's that good!
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