Steve Jobs
Starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet
Directed by Danny Boyle
Eschewing the typical biopic structure, director Danny Boyle and writer Aaron Sorkin have created an innovative portrait of Apple’s co-founder in Steve Jobs. Separating itself from the ill-conceived and poorly received 2013 Ashton Kutcher venture (simply titled Jobs) this latest examination of the mogul’s life takes place in three main acts, much like a stage production, capturing Jobs (a never better Michael Fassbender) and co. backstage before three key product launches beginning in 1984 with the unveiling of the Macintosh.
Instead of being subjected to heavy-handed expository backstory, the audience is quickly brought up to speed, thanks to Sorkin’s often-blistering screenplay, through the many exchanges Jobs has with the people around him including Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen), Apple CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels), marketing executive Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet), and his estranged wife (Katherine Waterston) and daughter, who is actually played effectively by three separate actresses over the course of the story.
Stylistically, the movie is toned down compared to the manic delights of Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire, but Boyle still manages to inject plenty of vibrancy into the mechanically simple plot, like using three distinct aesthetics to represent each year in the film.
The movie does not set out to tell an entire life story; instead opting for an often vilifying glimpse at a conundrum of a man and his place in the world. The slow moving narrative and acerbic conversations may prove frustrating for some but patience will ultimately prove rewarding as Steve Jobs is a thought-provoking achievement.
