Director Danny Boyle and scriptwriter Aaron Sorkin’s take on the Steve Jobs legend – with this the second film on Jobs in five years, “legend” seems right – avoids the traditional format of the earlier Ashton Kutcher-starring Jobs. Instead this version focuses on three product launches at three pivotal times in the life of Jobs (Michael Fassbender): the Mackintosh in 1984, the NeXT computer in 1988 and the iMac in 1998. Each time he’s surrounded by the same people backstage, most notably marketing executive Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet), Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen) and Apple CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels), each encounter showing how much he’s changed – or hasn’t.
Despite the tight structure this manages to get a lot of information about Jobs across via flashbacks and Sorkin’s trademark rapid-fire dialogue. What it’s not so good at is making us care. Jobs is shown as an arrogant bully living off of others’ genius and driven by issues around his adoption, with his relationship with his daughter rarely showing him in a good light. It’s the rise and fall and rise again of a man who helped shape the 21st century, but none of those inventions are covered; unless you’re a Jobs fan, this oddly static film may struggle to hold your attention.
Reviewed by Anthony Morris