Jobs Review

Rated PG-13 (Some Drug Content and Brief Strong Language)

Running Time: 2 Hours & 2 Minutes

Cast-

Ashton Kutcher-Steve Jobs

Josh Gad-Steve 'Woz' Wozniak

Dermot Mulroney-Mike Markkula

Lukas Haas-Daniel Kottke

Victor Rasuk-Bill Fernandez

Eddie Hassell-Chris Espinosa

Ron Eldard-Rod Holt

Nelson Franklin-Bill Atkinson

Elden Henson-Andy Hertzfeld

Lenny Jacobson-Burrell Smith

Matthew Modine-John Sculley

J.K. Simmons-Arthur Rock

Kevin Dunn-Gil Amelio

Brad William Henke-Paul Terrell

Ahna O'Reilly-Chris-Ann Brennan

John Getz-Paul Jobs

Lesley Ann Warren-Clara Jobs

Abby Brammell-Laurene Powell Jobs

James Woods-Jack Dudman

Directed by Joshua Michael Stern

Steve Jobs has an idea because he thinks differently.

Note: Screened on Tuesday, August 13, 2013 at the NYIT Auditorium.

Calling Steve Jobs a 'complicated man' is one of those massive understatements that have become so overused, it's now a tired cliché. Whatever your opinion of him was, there's no denying that Jobs was ambitious and a pivotal driving force for the burgeoning computer industry during the mid-1970s. I still remember the first time I used a Mac, like it was yesterday. It was back in elementary school and if memory serves me right, the model was a Color Classic II and had the shareware version of id Software's seminal first-person shooter Wolfenstein 3D installed. Not every Mac in the classroom had the game so you pretty much had to beat the other kids to the punch in order to play it or you'd be stuck with some Space Invaders knock-off. I fondly recall that triumphant moment where I took down a mech-suit wearing Adolf Hitler using the chain gun while all my friends hovered around me like hawks, silently hoping for me to slip-up. Unfortunately, some uptight parent complained to the teacher about the violence and he promptly uninstalled the game from all the computers. Ironically, this would be the last time I touched a Mac and since then, I've stayed loyal to my one true love, the PC. Of course, I'm not here to debate the pros and cons of Macs and PCs (it would turn into a shouting match anyway) as the topic of this review is on Steve Jobs and the biographical film based on his life from director Joshua Michael Stern. Given the man's influence on computers and technology in general, a biopic focusing on Jobs was always inevitable but I'm surprised at how fast we're getting one considering he passed away only two years ago. There's no doubt that Steve Jobs was a fascinating individual but despite the best efforts of Ashton Kutcher, "Jobs" is ultimately a dull, overly hagiographic film that offers absolutely no insight into the man that taught millions to 'think differently.' You'd actually be better off reading the guy's Wikipedia page or waiting for the Aaron Sorkin version.

On October 23, 2001, Apple Inc. CEO Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher) unveils the iPod to a rapturous audience at a special event in Cupertino, California but back in 1974, he was just another bored student at Portland, Oregon's Reed College. Dropping out after just one semester, Jobs spends the next eighteen months attending various creative classes such as calligraphy and eventually travels to India with his friend Daniel Kottke (Lukas Haas) in search of spiritual enlightenment. While working as a technician at Atari, Inc., Jobs is assigned to create a circuit board for the arcade video game Breakout using the least amount of chips possible. He enlists his high school friend Steve Wozniak (Josh Gad) to help on the project and their partnership leads to the invention of the Apple I computer in 1976. Born in the garage of Jobs' home in Los Altos, Apple Computer, Inc. quickly becomes a leading industry force in the home computer market thanks to some much-needed funding provided by semi-retired engineer Mike Markkula (Dermot Mulroney). Apple continues to grow throughout the early-1980s but Jobs soon becomes embroiled in an internal power struggle that sees him ousted from the company he built in 1985. As Apple slowly slipped into a decline, Jobs reluctantly returns as interim CEO in 1998 in order to forge a new path and bring the company back into the public consciousness.

'What makes this person great?' That is the question every biopic must answer and sadly, "Jobs" doesn't. Written by first-timer Matt Whiteley, the film makes the disastrous decision of shoehorning over twenty years of Apple history into a mere two hours, resulting in a scattershot, fragmented picture that's bereft of any nuance or drama. This is a lazy, pointless approach because one can simply read all about the company's milestones with just a simple Google search. Granted, the first hour isn't too bad as we witness the humble beginnings of Apple from Steve Jobs' garage. Watching Steve Wozniak diligently put together the circuit boards for the Apple I computer was actually fun since I spent much of my time in college doing the very same thing. However, Stern indulges in too much hero-worship in "Jobs" as the other contributors to the Apple I, Daniel Kottke, Bill Fernandez (Victor Rasuk), and Chris Espinosa (Eddie Hassell), are little more than set decoration. The opening scene where Jobs unveils the iPod even fudges the facts as initial reception to the device was mixed but here, the audience is shown to be literally standing on their hands and knees like it's the Second Coming of Jesus! Time and again, Jobs is shown to do no wrong. Whenever people doubt him or explain that something can't be done, he simply brushes off their concerns with a knowing smile. Even when the company was hemorrhaging money due to the failure of the Apple Lisa and the first Macintosh, the film places all the blame on then-CEO John Sculley (Matthew Modine) and investor Arthur Rock (J.K. Simmons), positioning them as one-dimensional, short-sighted executives who cared only about profit and not Jobs' 'vision.' When the subject of your biopic is presented as nearly infallible, it doesn't make for a very riveting film.

The second hour largely focuses on the internal power struggle between Sculley and Jobs but by then, the film had already lost me as it drudges through one tedious boardroom argument after another. However, my biggest issue with "Jobs" (besides its shallow exploration of the man) is that it fails to show exactly what his accomplishments were and mistakes his narcissistic arrogance as honorable. If you knew nothing about Steve Jobs and saw this film, you're going to come away with the impression that he's just a glorified salesman. There's scene after scene of him making inspirational speeches of how Apple will 'revolutionize' the computer industry yet that's all he does. The guy talks a big game, and then pawns the work off to someone else. It's no mystery that Jobs didn't suffer fools either and would gladly let them know about it but instead of trying to humanize the man and show why he behaves this way, Stern sweeps it all under the rug, forgiving his worst qualities because apparently, being ambitious allows you to bully everyone else. While Apple struggles to establish its identity, Jobs callously dismisses his pregnant girlfriend Chris-Ann Brennan (Ahna O'Reilly), kicking her to the curb and refusing to acknowledge that the child is his. It's frankly disturbing to watch yet ironically, this is as close to dramatic as the film gets as Jobs is shown to have some sort of mental breakdown afterwards. Strangely, Brennan's daughter is later shown to be living with her father, although how this happens is left completely unexplained. Too many blanks are left for the viewer to fill and when "Jobs" hits a brick wall, the film resorts to using montages.

It's clear that "Jobs" suffers from many problems but Ashton Kutcher is surprisingly not one of them. Although the actor doesn't quite disappear into his role, he does succeed in capturing Steve Jobs' mannerisms, including the man's distinctive gait and hunched posture. It's more a mimicry than a real performance yet Stern's unusual choice paid off. You can accuse the rest of the film of being lazy and formulaic. Kutcher, however, is not and it's evident in every scene that he's taking the role seriously. The rest of the cast don't fare as well in comparison due to their underwritten roles. Josh Gad's portrayal of Steve Wozniak is both funny and engaging while Dermot Mulroney effectively conveys Markkula's personal crisis as the character finds himself torn between Sculley and Jobs but everyone else is either too underdeveloped or too one-dimensional to make much of an impression.

Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, "Jobs" was finally released into theaters on August 16, 2013 to largely negative reviews with 25% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics found it to be a 'skin-deep portrait of an influential, complex figure' and that it 'often has the feel of an over-sentimentalized made-for-television biopic.' People may love their Apple products but that didn't translate into box office success as the film bombed over the weekend with only $6.7 million. Audience reception at the advance screening was also rather muted with only scattered applause. Although Steve Jobs strived for perfection with his products, this biopic settles for less and fails to offer anything remotely compelling about one of the most important figures in the tech industry. Apple fan or not, "Jobs" is a disappointment for everyone.

Final Rating: 2 out of 5

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."