Director: Joshua Michael Stern
Writer: Matt Whiteley (Screenplay)
Starring: Ashton Kutcher, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad, Lukas Haas, Matthew Modine, J.K. Simmons, Lesley Ann Warren
Plot: The story of Steve Jobs’ ascension from college dropout into one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of the 20th century.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Was Jobs like this?
Story: Jobs starts by introducing us to Steve Jobs (Kutcher) the visionary behind Apple describing his company’s newest toy the IPOD. Flashback to 1974 when Mr Jobs was still in college, well after he dropped out but still went around the college learning. He comes off as the typical college guy who enjoys drugs and exploring himself. Move forward a couple of years and Steve now works for Atari but has terrible people skills he ends up getting a project which could prove himself in the industry along with Steve ‘Woz’ Wozniak (Gad). Together they set out to try and sell their very first computer along with finding his its name ‘Apple’.
We watch how Steve tries to make the sale of his computer idea while building the computers in his parent’s basement. A favour called in give Steve the chance to meet Mike Markkula (Mulroney) who offers the team a chance to get to the next level. With the company flying Steve starts to change and demand more success which is the beginning of the end before he turns yet another dead end project around yet he still get pushed out of his own company before being the savior when it needed him.
Jobs would join the category of films about icon people that will make them look imperfect. In fact this made Steve Jobs out be kind of an asshole and failed to show the brilliance in the technology that his company created. We see how he dumped out friends to continue in his rise to the top forgetting the people who helped him get to where he was. I am sure that a lot of the details between the board and Steve were very political that would all come off very boring to film and it shows in the board scenes. We have a story about the biggest visionary of the 20th century and miss everything he gave the world. (3/10)
Actor Review
Ashton Kutcher: Steve Jobs the mastermind who starts off as a wonder around college before trying to create one of the first next level computers of its time. Even though he continued to push the boundaries of technology he only isolates himself by doing so. Ashton does well with certain moments but I do feel this was too much too early for an unproven serious actor. (4/10)
Support Cast: Jobs has a large support cast of people who Jobs met through the decades, some help him some prevent him but in the end they all end up helping him achieve what he did. All the actors are solid but out of all the names I have only heard of one of them.
Director Review: Joshua Michael Stern – Does an average job with directing he offers nothing to truly teach us about the man which is what would have been what we wanted to see. (4/10)
Biographical: Jobs shows the rise, the fall and the comeback but fails to show what he truly did to the world of technology. (5/10)
Settings: Jobs has good settings but they weren’t difficult to create. (7/10)
Suggestion: Jobs is one to try, if you want to learn the basics of what happened in the world of Apple and Steve Jobs this gives some information but fails to offer enough. (Try It)
Best Part: Starts promising with the building of the first board.
Worst Part: it becomes boring without the inclusion of the technology talk.
Believability: It is meant to be based on Jobs. (9/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Box Office: $35 Million
Budget: $12 Million
Runtime: 2 Hours 8 Minutes
Tagline: Some see what’s possible, others change what’s possible
Trivia: Almost all of the scenes involving Jobs’ parents’ house and garage were filmed in the actual Los Altos, California house and garage where Steve Jobs grew up in the 1970s.
Overall: Why doesn’t the biopic work at the moment?
Rating
