WRITTEN BY: Matt Whiteley
DIRECTED BY: Joshua Michael Stern
Ashton Kutcher is putting his serious face on. No one has tried to give Kutcher a role before. I would equate this to Jim Carrey in The Truman Show. I think it is a nice first baby step in getting people to respect him as an actor, but in no way is this a career defining performance.
Jobs chronicles the life of Steve Jobs (Kutcher) from his start as a college dropout, to being the driving force behind Apple, and likely the reason we have personal computers, and the Ipod. Josh Gad plays Steve Wozniack, the real brains behind the operation. The rest of the supporting cast is largely forgettable, but each of them play a real person.
The film itself works OK , and should have done just fine as a Sundance release/limited hit. Instead, they’ve pushed this out into wide release, hoping everyone wants to see Ashton with his game face on. I don’t think they do. There was almost no one in my theater on opening weekend, and I saw this directly after a sold-out showing of The Butler. He actually does an admirable job, but he can’t quite shake the clueless look he’s familiar for. Steve Jobs is remembered for his brilliance, and not once in the film do you believe Ashton Kutcher is a brilliant man. Like I said, it’s a step in the right direction.
Jobs is a decent film, but it is one that I would have preferred to watch at home on DVD, rather than in theatres. It doesn’t quite demand the attention of a major theatrical release, nor will it get the box office to reflect that. It’s an interesting take on an icon, with a decent performance from an actor who we thought was an idiot.
FINAL GRADE: C+