Not The Most Efficient Animal

Rating: 7/10 (27 January 2016)

Steve Jobs (2015)
The third movie, since his death in 2011, which takes both name and inspiration from the late co-founder and CEO of Apple inc. Steve Jobs. (and no, that's not even counting documentaries, TV movies or series.) The difference this time; it's actually pretty good. Directed by Danny Boyle, the film explores the personality of Jobs through the events that take place backstage at three product launches over a span of fourteen years from 1984 to 1998.
The masterfully written screenplay from Aaron Sorkin is brought to life by the brilliant cast including Michael Fassbender in the titular role, nominated for best actor and rightfully so, Kate Winslet who brings both wisdom and humour in her banter with Jobs, Seth Rogen who thankfully turns the humour down to a two and the acting up to a ten, and Jeff Daniels who's all too short scenes were a personal highpoint for the movie.
The film itself is very wordy. If you know of Sorkin's work, you'll know what I mean (yes hallways, yes arguments yes clever witty dialogue). This is not a film where much happens, it's a film built on interaction between characters and you'll need to prepare for that if you're expecting sh*t to go down, because it doesn't. They talk and they talk, and the talking is great, but if the acting and writing isn't enough to entertain you, if you came for the car chases and the gunfights, you came to the wrong place.
However, my primary issue with the film lies in the following; at about the eighty minute mark, after we've seen the first two acts of the film, first off, we know the structure of the movie now, we know how the rest is going to play out, we know he's going to have to talk to Hertzfeld, we know he'll talk to Woz, oh and where's Jeff Daniels? There he is, just in time. It became too convenient for the story and a little predictable which I was disappointed with. Secondly, the entire movie is a setup, a build towards three product announcements, and when the film keeps building and resetting, building and resetting, it can get somewhat exhausting, especially with a two-hour-plus runtime. I just didn't feel that "YES!" moment I wanted to feel at the end.
That being said, the film isn't about the products, it's about the man behind them, and by the end I really did get a sense of who this guy was and what drove him. (like, I've always had a grudge against apple because their devices are, as they say, "closed end-to-end" which they address in the movie and which I found very interesting.) I felt like all of the characters were perfectly interesting, but I would have liked to have seen them wrapped up in a more interesting narrative.
The film is shot on 16mm, 35mm and in digital and changes as we progress through time, an interesting and appropriate choice, so don't be worried if you sit down and it looks like you're watching television from the 80's. The score is enthralling and enhances the story in just the right way, particularly in one scene between Fassbender and Daniels which mashes up multiple conversations using exceptional editing. (This was the "YES!" moment I was looking for.)
In the end, Steve Jobs is a great movie that unfortunately just isn't as enjoyable as it is good. Imagine your favourite movie trilogy, now take the best 40 minutes of each movie and put them together as one. It's still good, just not the same, it's missing that connective tissue that if added would make it perfect.
Steve Jobs: 7.2/10