Most of us, whether we have an Apple product or not, know the name Steve Jobs however, it was undoubtedly a safe bet of mine to assume that a large part of the audience at this movie had in their pocket one object or another that we can thank Jobs for!
This is a basic bio-pic on Steve Jobs – called Jobs by Joshua Michael Stern, (Swing Vote, 2008) written by newcomer Matt Whitely. It shows us Steve Jobs starting Apple, getting kicked out and coming back.
That almost makes it sound like it’s not good! It is, I really enjoyed it. However, at the start I was a bit puzzled why they cast Ashton Kutcher to play Steve Jobs. Rom-Com heartthrob Kutcher as real-life computer genius?? But as the movie starts and the story develops, it becomes obvious that this was a very wise move. Kutcher is outstanding! So much so, this will undoubtedly propel him from your average Rom-Com heartthrob to the ranks of a serious actor.
The film starts at the end. Steve Jobs is at Apple, introducing a large audience to – yes, the iPod! That fabulous little device that so many of us rely on for an escape wherever we are the gym, the beach, work… I had to look twice, because with the black turtleneck, jeans and three day growth I thought Ashton Kutcher was Steve Jobs!
Then we are taken back to 1974. We meet a younger Jobs as a college drop-out, experimenting with drugs and looking into spirituality. The scenes of him at College are so clear and are so vast, it almost looks like a documentary.
It becomes clear early on that it was an issue for Jobs to work with others. This continues throughout the film as we see his various personality flaws, in particular his self-obsessed nature. Kutcher is very believable here and you can’t help but feel sorry for him.
This flaw is made obvious when Jobs tries to deny responsibility for his first child with his pregnant girlfriend. Then again with his best mate Steve Wozniak (superbly played by Josh Gad from Love And Other Drugs, 2010) his founding partner of Apple, who we was continuously going off at.
The conflicts continue through the development of Apple in later years. It becomes clear that Jobs may not have been a very nice boss. He would often go psycho at his employees, even firing one who did not understand the relevance and importance of different fonts!
Another fascinating matter was his continuous feud with Microsoft’s Bill Gates. Naturally they were in competition, but it became almost like a game of each trying to better the other. We see this in a brief, but abusive phone conversation that left onlookers stunned!
Jobs personally chose Apple’s CEO John Scully (the very smooth Mathew Modine) but his clashes with Scully and his board of directors ultimately lead to him being fired.
Something Steve Jobs had, that many people wish for, was an unbelievable level of drive and Kutcher portrays this so naturally he eventually returns to Apple and as they say, the rest is history!
This is an inspirational bio for any Uni drop-out. Here goes a stoned youth who doesn’t know where the heck he’s going in life, to working (and working his butt off!) and becoming the co-founder of the richest company in the world! There will be more bios on Jobs I hear, but this one is a good start!
And here I sit, typing on my iPad, listening to my iPod and waiting for a call on my iPhone. I mean… really?!!
Reviewed by Kirstey Whicker
Rating out of 10: 8
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