Movie Review: Steve Jobs

One of the most prominent individuals of the late twentieth century is Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple and the creator of some of the most influential electronic devices of all time. Naturally, Hollywood feels obligated to honor him by making films about his life. There were actually two movies created previously to the topic of today’s review: the first one, Pirates of Silicon Valley, released in 1999, was generally well received; the second one, Jobs, was critically panned. A truly great film about Steve Jobs had yet to come...until now. With the director of Slumdog Millionaire calling the shots and the writer of The Social Network creating realistic dialogue, Steve Jobs is witty, well acted, and heartfelt without resorting to maudlin scenes. 

Steve Jobs is based entirely around characters talking; the conversation is where all the characterization, plot progression, and entertainment comes from. For this to succeed, the dialogue and the acting need to be close to perfect, and Steve Jobs certainly succeeds. Michael Fassbender, despite not looking like the titular character for a good portion of the movie, captures Jobs’ presence extraordinarily well. All of his mannerisms are clear: his dry sense of humor, his disconnect from most other human beings, and his ability to predict what people want before they want it. Kate Winslet also does a fantastic job as Joanna Hoffman, the marketing executive of Apple and Jobs’ guide of sorts. The side characters’ performances are also impeccable, particularly Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak and Katherine Waterston as Jobs’ former girlfriend Chrisann.

Kate Winslet and Michael Fassbender

However, the movie does have a couple setbacks. For one, sometimes the characters can talk very quickly, and it can be hard to follow all the conversations at points. It can be particularly hard for those without extensive knowledge of Apple and Steve Jobs’ history to completely understand what’s going on. For people who enjoy movies where actions speak louder than words, this is not a good movie to check out, as it is all dialogue. The structure is also different. There is no traditional beginning, middle, or end; instead, the movie follows Steve Jobs before three of his major product launches. The only conflict in the movie is between Jobs and his daughter, but that conflict is mostly undermined by everything else going on. The main point of this movie seems to be a chance for Michael Fassbender and the rest of the cast to exercise their acting chops. This isn’t a bad thing, as the actors all do wonderful jobs, but it does make the movie feel like it lacks much of a point for existing other than to depict parts of Steve Jobs’ life.

Overall, Steve Jobs is a great biopic, with fantastic acting, but does suffer from problems in the story department. A predicted Oscar nominee for Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actress, the movie holds its weight in the field of awards. It’s an interesting way to learn about the life of one of America’s most recent icons, so for that, it’s worth checking out.

So, that's my review of Steve Jobs! More reviews are on their way :)