Even though "Steve Jobs" is a biopic, one should not expect an exact biography. A creative self-interpretation of the biography was chosen here. The story, which follows an unconventional but fascinating three-act structure, is divided into three major product presentations by its hero, each in front of a large audience, in 1984, 1988 and 1998. However, the focus is not on the new innovations, such as the first Mac computer, the Next Cube, or then the first iMac, which Jobs presents in his speeches. Instead, the viewer is taken backstage. In camera movements that are as nervous as they are elegant, director Boyle shows a man who is constantly on the move; a frenzied man who jostles his companions. Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin presents the viewer with a completely messed-up character. We learn almost nothing about his life or who he was, other than what we learn from his interactions with his daughter, his assistant Joanna and Steve Wozniack. The central theme is Jobs' relationship with his daughter Lisa, whose fatherhood he refused to come to terms with for years. Surely there could have been more complexity for a perfectionist who was very difficult to work with. Although much is left out, it is still surprisingly effective.
Aaron Sorkin has delivered a great screenplay. The dialog he writes and the wonderful pacing make the two hour running time fly by. The story moves at an energetic pace and is carried by the intensity of the characters. Another strength of the movie is the performance of the great cast. There are intense and powerful moments. Fassbender may not look like Steve Jobs, but he's still great and has an incredibly captivating appearance. He embodies his hero at the beginning as an emotionless robot, slightly hunchbacked, with thin lips and an ever-so-slightly wandering autistic look, as befits a shaggy-haired nerd. Later as a cool businessman and finally as a starving obsessive who slowly becomes a human being after all. Fassbender's performance is on point and he delivers the wonderfully written dialog in a convincing manner. (Not without reason was he nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Oscars) Jobs' assistant, Joanna, played magnificently by Kate Winslet with cold eyes and a surprising toughness, acts as his conscience, his anchor. And Seth Rogan as Steve Wozniak was simply on a par with his colleagues.
All in all, director Boyle has followed Steve Job's maxim - that design is everything - and turned it all into a movie. It is a work of art in itself made up of razor-sharp dialog, editing and acting. The music is both restrained and lively when it is used. Even the time shift between the present and the different pasts between John Sculley and Jobs is masterfully done.
Emotionally, the movie surprised and also touched me. For me, this movie is the most human portrayal of Jobs that I have ever seen. Because even though some of it is fictional and may never have happened, it sounds exactly like something Steve Jobs would have done or said and at the end you have the feeling that you have seen something behind the scenes. With the conclusion that nobody is perfect.
"What you do is not the best thing about you. If you're a father, that should be the best part of you."
--------------- Conclusion: Worth seeing - It's thought-provoking, fascinating, intelligent and fast-paced, with plenty of wit, intensity and biting interludes. Steve Jobs was a fascinating, if complex, man, so a movie based on him would always pique my interest.
Aaron Sorkin has delivered a great screenplay. The dialog he writes and the wonderful pacing make the two hour running time fly by. The story moves at an energetic pace and is carried by the intensity of the characters. Another strength of the movie is the performance of the great cast. There are intense and powerful moments. Fassbender may not look like Steve Jobs, but he's still great and has an incredibly captivating appearance. He embodies his hero at the beginning as an emotionless robot, slightly hunchbacked, with thin lips and an ever-so-slightly wandering autistic look, as befits a shaggy-haired nerd. Later as a cool businessman and finally as a starving obsessive who slowly becomes a human being after all. Fassbender's performance is on point and he delivers the wonderfully written dialog in a convincing manner. (Not without reason was he nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role at the Oscars) Jobs' assistant, Joanna, played magnificently by Kate Winslet with cold eyes and a surprising toughness, acts as his conscience, his anchor. And Seth Rogan as Steve Wozniak was simply on a par with his colleagues.
All in all, director Boyle has followed Steve Job's maxim - that design is everything - and turned it all into a movie. It is a work of art in itself made up of razor-sharp dialog, editing and acting. The music is both restrained and lively when it is used. Even the time shift between the present and the different pasts between John Sculley and Jobs is masterfully done.
Emotionally, the movie surprised and also touched me. For me, this movie is the most human portrayal of Jobs that I have ever seen. Because even though some of it is fictional and may never have happened, it sounds exactly like something Steve Jobs would have done or said and at the end you have the feeling that you have seen something behind the scenes. With the conclusion that nobody is perfect.
"What you do is not the best thing about you. If you're a father, that should be the best part of you."
--------------- Conclusion: Worth seeing - It's thought-provoking, fascinating, intelligent and fast-paced, with plenty of wit, intensity and biting interludes. Steve Jobs was a fascinating, if complex, man, so a movie based on him would always pique my interest.