Steve Jobs – Film Review by Frances Winston
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels

In cinemas 13th November

With a screenplay from the acclaimed award winning Aaron Sorkin, direction from Oscar winning Danny Boyle and boasting some of the finest acting talent around with numerous awards between them this film sets itself up as a prestige product much like the Apple products developed by the eponymous Jobs. Rather than stick to a straightforward narrative of his life this is set over three acts which each taking place at a significant product launch – the Apple Macintosh, NeXt Computers and the iMac. As Jobs waits to deliver his keynote speech at the events, various players in his life pass through the backstage area helping to paint a picture of a complex man who although a genius was more often than not quite unlikeable.

Fassbender plays the Apple founder with an intensity bordering on manic. Like a tightly coiled spring you never quite know when the tension will snap and with everyone walking on eggshells around him he comes across as a bully. The only real foil to his moods and attitudes is Joanna Hoffman (Winslet) who worked on the marketing of all the products. Describing herself as his “work wife” she is one of the few people whose opinion he will take on board. Winslet plays her with a strength and integrity that leaves you wondering why the real Hoffman put up with Jobs for so long. The other characters flit in and out and serve their purpose – Rogen as Steve Wosniack the Apple co-founder whose achievements are dismissed by the arrogant Jobs, Jeff Daniels as John Sculley, the one time Apple CEO who ousted Jobs from the board and various actresses as Jobs first child Lisa at different stages of her life. Jobs initially refused to acknowledge her as his offspring and their complex relationship serves to give us an insight into what is going on beneath his arrogant surface.

If this was moviemaking by numbers it would be damn near perfect. It has a great cast and crew, a great script, some excellent performances, brilliant direction, wonderful cinematography and a fantastic soundtrack. However while this works on many levels it definitely isn’t perfect. That much intensity can be difficult to watch for ninety minutes and with Fassbender dialing it up to 10 it gets a bit uncomfortable. Also the format of three very similar acts wears a bit thin. While I can see what Boyle was aiming for it all becomes a bit claustrophobic and, for a visual medium, very wordy. At times it is almost like they filmed theatre. There is also the problem that Jobs was not a very nice person on the whole during these periods and it is difficult to care about him.

Fassbender is fully deserving of all the praise he has received for his performance but for the average movie goer this will probably be a bit too intense and tedious. While I enjoyed a lot of elements of it I did find it dragged at times and I found myself looking at the time – never a good sign. It’s not that it’s boring but it doesn’t have enough contrasts to keep you fully engaged. An interesting insight into a complex man but you get the feeling that they never fully scratch the surface.