Review of Steve Jobs (2015) by Zanele J — 26 Apr 2016

Movie Review by Zanele Jiane.

When watching Steve Job one is sure to be reminded of Oliver Stone's Alexander, both movies are dialogue heavy, and not just dialogue but emotionally acerbic tongue lashings and this made us wonder how these men did become so great when they have continuously failed at expressing themselves among their peers.

As a result both movies tanked at the box office - both movies were made by Hollywood craftsmen and therefore their commercial botches have to do with the format of the movie and not with the film making process itself. Some says the casting of Michael Fassbender (Magneto) was not commercially viable as he is not magnetic enough to draw in the crowds - compared to Christian Bale and Leonardo Di Caprio. The casting of Fassbender was inspired as he is wholly genial throughout his spells and his character was built to be understood.

Of the two movies I believe Steve Jobs is cinematically incomparable, the format does work for the movie structurally - there are many levels at which Steve Job's life can be chronicled and Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) chose the most personally intimate account he can think of as a man. Jobs headlined by Ashton Kutcher covers his rise in the Silicon Valley and Fassbender chronicles Steve Job's emotional topology as he rise to transform the world via computing.

The movie is peppered with plucky men and women who stood toe to toe with Jobs ensuring that he flourishes in all he does but making their lives and his own testing to live in - Job's is not for the thin skinned people - he is an emotional bulldozer and he does not even know it. It will be years for psychologists to finally provide a working theory as to how can someone be so wired that all he cares about is his job.

Kate Winslet is portrayed as almost running the Apple Company as she is the only one who can tell Jobs the truth without flinching. Michael Stuhlbarg's Andy Herzfeld is astonishing their final confrontation is among the moving scenes in the movie, he was cowardly but stuck with the truth and helped edge Jobs closer to his reality that was slipping him, and his portrayal has a hint of Robbin Williams. Steve Wozniak as well - completely fearless and his confrontation really helped the movie expose the mind of Steve Jobs, such courage is revolutionary - that is the whole point of watching movies - to see ordinary humans push the frontiers, be it emotional, physical and spiritual, and commercial.

Danny Boyle, Elliot Graham, and Aaron Sorkin pulled a very fine job of crafting this film, there are dialogue scenes that are so asphyxiating that edits kick it and we are allowed to breathe a little before going back for another choking dialogue. This mixture of transition, lights and sets is really outstanding - this also sets the movie from being similar to The Social Network.

The movie opens with an earlier scene from the late 70's, early 80's about a prophecy of how the computing world will look in 2001. And the prophecy is right on the money.

Clearly there are many permutation's of Steve Job's life that can and still will be made - not enough can and has been covered and hoping to see more films about him.