With public anticipation running at an all-time high, Apple Inc. co-founders Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) and Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen) along with Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) and Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg) get ready to unveil the first Macintosh in 1984. Meanwhile Jobs must deal with personal issues involving his ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston) and their young daughter Lisa. Eventually fired by then Apple CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels), Jobs launches NeXT Inc. and prepares to unveil a new computer in 1988. Ten years later, Jobs returns to Apple and is again about to revolutionize the computer industry by unveiling the iMac.
I’ll just say right now that I did not see the Ashton Kutcher led film Jobs from two years ago which was also based on the life of Steve Jobs. I chose not to see it because I didn’t think Kutcher looked like Jobs at all and I do not take him seriously in dramatic roles. I didn’t read the book the book in which the film is based, Walter Isaacson’s biography also called “Steve Jobs”. I chose to watch it because I trust the people who were behind the film (I assume you know who they all are). Now Fassbender doesn’t look like Jobs either but that’s not the point here as the progression in his appearance matches his progression as a character since he grew into the person he was based on his past experience. At least that was the impression I got. This experience comes from the events leading up to the those three unveilings which make up the entire plot of the film. In theory this doesn’t sound like much, but there is actually a lot to be had. The majority of the film consists mostly of backstage conversations and a few flashbacks but you don’t mind since they were done so well. You can count on Aaron Sorkin films to have good, smart, quick dialogue usually while characters are walking down hallways. We definitely got plenty of that here. Like I said, the dialogue is good but the dialogue can only be as good as the actors who are delivering it. The actors in this one definitely don’t disappoint. Fassbender who is amazing here and will definitely at least get an Oscar nomination for Best Actor competing with Johnny Depp in Black Mass. As Jobs, Fassbender manages to be cold, smart, manipulative, calculating narcissist. He goes about it with a calm demeanour and can turn into a diabolical on a turn of a dime. The few scenes involving Jobs’ family issues had the potential to bring the film down did not come off as cheesy or boring thanks to the performances of Fassbender and Katherine Waterston as Jobs’ girlfriend Chrisann. Kate Winslet was just as good and nomination worthy as Johanna Hoffman who can keep up with and stand up to Jobs acting as a counterbalance to his personality. Their exchanges were nothing short of amazing and they were able to show off their acting ability. They weren’t the only ones privy to this. Seth Rogen in his best performance as Steve Wozniak held his own in big moments and had great chemistry with Fassbender. I just wish I could have seen more of him. Jeff Daniels as Sculley is also nomination-worthy based on one scene with Fassbender later on. The only thing I didn’t like about the film was that since the film is about those three unveilings, we never got too see any of them. I also liked the end of the film as it connected everything nicely. Overall, the film doesn’t seem like much in theory but the performances alone should make this worth seeing.
Score: 9.5/10
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.