Review of Steve Jobs (2015) by Hrant B — 15 Jun 2018

Whether you are a diehard Apple fanboy, or actively avoid their products like the plague, Steve Jobs' effect on the world of computing is undeniable. This film's three acts each chronicle the backstage drama right before three of Jobs' product launches: the Macintosh, the NeXT box, and the iMac.

Obviously, the timeline is condensed here; there's no way all of this happened mere minutes before product launches. While I understand it's a stylistic choice, it does strain my suspension of disbelief a bit too much. Each time, we see him catch up with Steve Wozniak, John Sculley, Andy Hertzfeld, and his 'daughter' Lisa. It feels a bit formulaic, and is further complicated by occiasional quick flashback scenes that can make you a bit disoriented.

The cast is really good here. The relationship between Jobs (Fassbender) and Hoffman (Winslet) is great; they really play well off each other. Jeff Daniels and Michael Stuhlbarg are also great here. Seth Rogen is fine; he sinks into his dramatic role reasonably well.

My main issue is that it doesn't feel cohesive. All of this is taking place moments before a big product launch, but the launch itself is never shown. There's also an element of box-ticking; we need to talk to every major character before the show starts.

It's a very artsy interpretation of Jobs' life, and I can appreciate the interpretation and acting. The rest doesn't work as much for me.