Steve Jobs

Rating: 7/10 (28 January 2016)

Directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours), I heard mixed opinions about this film during its release, with cinemas even stopping performances due to lack of interest, but critics did give it good reviews, I became much more interest when award nominations came rolling in. Basically this film focuses on three key events in the life of Steve Jobs (Oscar, BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Michael Fassbender), the information technology entrepreneur, inventor, and co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer (CEO) of Apple Inc., the company that has created many of the world's greatest products and largest cultural ramifications, including: the iMac, iTunes, Apple Stores, the iPod, the iTunes Store, the iPhone, the App Store, and the iPad, and Jobs funded The Graphics Group, now known all over the world as animation studio Pixar. The first event is the 1984 unveiling of the Macintosh 128k, Apple co-founder Jobs demands engineer Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg) fix the failure of the machine's demo voice, threatening public humiliation in the presentation. Meanwhile he has an argument with marketing executive Joanna Hoffman (BAFTA and Golden Globe winning Kate Winslet) about the Time magazine article exposing his dispute with ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston) about the paternity of her five-year- old daughter Lisa (Makenzie Moss), Jobs denies he is the father. Chrisann shows up with Lisa, she confronts Jobs about his denial and his refusal to support her despite his wealth, Jobs and Lisa bond when he lets her use a computer and she creates a MacPaint artwork, and he agrees to provide more money and buy her a house. Jobs feels it is unwise to mention an ageing computer when Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen) asks him to acknowledge the Apple II team in the presentation, and Jobs and Apple CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels) discuss Job's life as an adoptive child, he admits being given up gave him feelings of powerlessness and now gives him a need for control. The second event is the 1988 launch of the NeXT computer, at the War Memorial Opera House, the Macintosh failed and NeXt is the new company founded by Jobs, his relationship with Brennan is still strained, he accuses her of irresponsible behaviour and using now nine-year-old Lisa (Ripley Sobo) to get money from him, but he is able to spend time with Lisa. Wozniak arrives and predicts the NeXt will be another failure, Jobs confronts him about his public criticism of him, and Wozniak questions how Jobs has contributed to computing history, Jobs refers to himself as a conductor, directing "musicians", like Wozniak. Sculley demands to know why Jobs was fired from Apple, actually he was forced out by the Apple board after, despite Sculley's warnings, he continued to defend the Macintosh, after its discontinuation, and Hoffman realises that the reason behind the unclear direction of NeXt, the computer has been designed by Jobs to entice Apple into buying his company and reinstating him. The third event is the 1998 unveiling of the iMac G3, at Davies Symphony Hall, Apple have fired Sculley, purchased NeXT, and Jobs is now CEO, Hoffman has projected strong commercial forecasts and Jobs is delighted. However Jobs is furious when now nineteen-year- old Lisa (Perla Haney-Jardine) has allowed her mother Chrisann to sell the house he bought for them, Hoffman reminds Jobs he threatened to withhold Lisa's college tuition, and he stunned when Hertzfeld admits he paid the tuition and suggested she attend therapy. Wozniak shows up again and asks Jobs to credit the Apple II team during his presentation, he again refuses, Sculley secretly turns also and they make amends, Hoffman urges Jobs to apologise for his mistakes to Lisa, he does so and says he is "poorly made", he gives his daughter a printed copy of the MacPaint artwork she created in 1984, and Lisa watches her father take to the stage to introduce the iMac to the world. Also starring Sarah Snook as Andrea Cunningham, Adam Shapiro as Avie Tevanian, John Ortiz as Joel Pforzheimer, Stan Roth as George Coates and John Steen as Mike Markkula. Fassbender only just looks a bit like Jobs, it doesn't matter, he is terrific playing the demanding, single-minded perfectionist, Winslet gets many equally great moments as the attentive marketing executive who has all the numbers and wants to help Jobs stick to schedule, but also sort himself out, there is also good support from Rogen and Daniels. This is an unusual biopic, normally you would focus on many of the key moments in a real person's career and personal life, but on the other hand this makes use of a very well written script, shifting away from the noteworthy achievements of the famous man, and seeing situations unfolding in real time, it is an interesting biographical drama. It was nominated the BAFTAs for Best Adapted Screenplay for Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men, The West Wing, The Social Network), and it won the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay, and it was nominated for Best Original Score for Daniel Pemberton. Very good!