Starring: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels
Directed By: Danny Boyle
Running Time: 122 Minutes
UK Certificate: 15
UK Release Date: 13th November 2015
Comparable with the iPhone it seems that were are getting a new biopic of Apple’s late founder every few years, which is slightly bigger (and hopefully better) than what came before it. Ultimately though, it’s composed of tried and tested components making the finished piece unoriginal yet appealing to a demographic who takes comfort in being part of a brand and consuming what they have already experienced in a slightly different package.
In 2013 it was Ashton Kutcher playing Steve Jobs, this year it’s Michael Fassbender, and in 2017 I predict Daniel Day-Lewis taking the mantle in a 3 part epic directed by Gus Van Sant (not really).
But however the man is portrayed on screen there is no denying that Steve Jobs was incredibly influential and has left a lasting legacy on this planet through Apple’s consumer products, investment in companies such as Pixar and donating computers to schools around the world.
Almost everyone I know has at one point owned a Mac, iPod or iPhone so it would seem like a no brainer for Hollywood to show the man behind the products. This film shows what allegedly happened backstage at the launch of three of Jobs’ key products: the Mac in 1984, the NeXT in 1988 and the iMac in 1998 and paints a picture of the man, the people involved and the conflicts between them and him.
Allegedly Jobs widow talked both Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale out of doing this film and Fassbender doesn’t want his performance to offend the family. But this film is the classic ‘based on a true story’ arc so take everything with a pinch of salt (or iSalt).
With all cinematic biographies the stories are always told and written differently from fact, and then performed often by those who never met the real individuals and as such can’t give a credible account. But this is Hollywood and it will strive to make entertaining films, which this picture undoubtedly is.
Director Danny Boyle is a legend but I wonder if he was attached early on or as a director for hire in order to green light Trainspotting 2 or 28 Months Later. With that in mind I am slightly cautious of directors returning to the original work many years later (don’t see Prometheus (2012)). But Boyle doesn’t disappoint here and successfully blends together many elements of drama, family, desire, revenge, compromise and acceptance that make this an entertaining and well-crafted film.
This cinematography is fine and they use a grainy filter in the 1984 segment to give it a rustic, documentary style shine which sublimely makes it more authentic. This is lost as we transition into the film’s later segments and the final in 1998 is crisp and in HD. It’s a small but nice touch.
I suppose that the backstage setting is to show the man behind the products in a very literal and honest light. We see many sides of Jobs, which may come across as schizophrenic at points, but he is admirable and inspiring – if not a bit of a dick. However he knows and acknowledges this flaw and has a focus on being the man that he created and what he and his products stand for.
Fassbender is excellent in his portrayal of a man who is multidimensional, yet his lead performance comes across almost too effortlessly natural and never over the top, even on the subtleties of a seemingly complicated man. This I feel may have him miss out on several award nominations over the next few months but as an audience we know and respect Fassbender as one of the best actors working today.
Jobs is angry yet passive, charming and egotistical, friendly yet threatening, funny yet serious – and all of these personas are expressed by Fassbender in near perfect balance throughout.
Kate Winslet is unrecognisable at first playing Jobs’ ‘work wife’ and marketing executive/personal assistant Joanna Hoffman. She is key in this film and shares most of the scenes with Jobs, keeping him balanced and in check: her yin to his yang. Whereas Jobs often comes across as heartless, Hoffman does her best to keep his heart in the right place, especially when it comes to his estranged daughter Lisa Brennan.
Now I didn’t know a lot about Jobs’ life except a few revelations from various biographies, one being his use of acid which is cheekily referenced to in this film. One was that Jobs was adopted and as such felt that his abandonment by his parent’s meant that he couldn’t control his life, and could be seen as his motivation to become the man he was.
In stark contrast I found it contradictory that this film shows his rejection towards Lisa during the first act, but then growing to acceptance and it’s revealed that she is the inspiration behind the Lisa computer, and later hints as the inspiration of the iPod. I found the relationship between Jobs’ and his daughter great, as he bonds throughout the film and juxtaposing the relationship with her mother and former high school sweetheart Chrisann (Katherine Waterston), which is chaotic to say the least.
This isn’t totally a family drama though and is more focused on the business side of things, hence the product launch settings, which show the effects of ego and desire on the personal relationships of all involved.
One conflict becomes a bit muddled as we don’t have time to process the intricacies of what happened behind the scenes after the Mac launch in 1984. But as an audience we know the bigger picture and as such the scene seems a bit pointless and only there to showcase dramatic tension from an excellent Fassbender and Jeff Daniels (John Sculley), sparing against one another.
Seth Rogen plays another character from Jobs’ past, his work partner Steve Wozniak who according to this film designed the Apple 2. Wozniak pops in to seemingly show support, but desires that Jobs share the credit for what they and the team have created. He is quirky and seemingly a pushover who becomes more frontal and stronger as the film progresses. Jobs offers him a ‘pass for life’, which comes across as insulting, but Wozniak is another part of Jobs which he doesn’t want to lose, even though he pushes him away. What is important with this character is that we get to see the forward thinking yet cruel side of Jobs who through arrogance and pride won’t publically acknowledge that he is not the genius and visionary the world believes he is.
The film also has a lot of laughs as Fassbender drops in perfectly timed and well placed one-liners and reactions, which mainly stem from Aaron Sorkin’s excellent script. Sorkin previously scripted The West Wing (1999–2006), The Newsroom (2012–2014) and won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Social Network (2010). I wouldn’t class this as an Oscar bait film but I will be surprised if he doesn’t receive a nomination at least for his efforts.
I suppose this film is meant to show the man behind the curtain in a seemingly realistic light, but shows the audience a man who created himself and is proud to declare himself the conductor pulling the strings and manipulating everyone through kindness or aggression into playing their part in his legacy.
An issue I had is how Jobs’ vision to make computers accessible to all and ultimately available to all through education and charity is shown to be a ‘positive’ motivation to ultimately sell more computers and boost profits. But at the end of the day profitability is the driving force of business.
We have fraud in presentations, closed systems and incomplete products designed to sell add-ons and upgrades that are cheaper or free for PC users. Sound familiar?
I also had an issue with his plan to work the board that fired him to get back into Apple at the expenses of employees and consumers. However I’m not sure this is totally accurate as this is only a film. A few things are unresolved, which I though was great as the audience always wants more and I was left with the message: It’s not about how much someone makes, it’s about what they make.
I found it difficult to rate as this is a great and enjoyable film, yet somehow I feel that it will be forgotten in a few years. Its trim, doesn’t sag, and successfully blends together many elements to deliver a solid, if not totally believable biopic which is never over-sentimental.
Overall Verdict: Very well scripted, acted and directed and sheds some light behind the curtain of an iconic visionary. It nicely blends wit, drama, humour and family into an entertaining biopic which never sags or gets over dramatic, yet lacks the dramatic punch to make it truly memorable.
Reviewer: George Elcombe
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