"Jobs" movie review

By Brian Frosti on September 21, 2013

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

Upon the death of Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs, there was a rush throughout the movie industry to get his life’s story out as a biopic. The result? Director Joshua Michael Stern’s Jobs. The biopic takes moviegoers through the life of college dropout Steve Jobs, from his co-founding of apple, with then-best friend Steve Wozniak, to his highly publicized exit from and return to the tech giant he built. Headlined by Ashton Kutcher as the titular Steve Jobs, the movie has taken a beating from critics, receiving a metascore of just 44 and a 25 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  Jobs does indeed have its shortcomings, but to its credit it has some very bright spots.

An unexpected high point of the film is Kutcher’s performance–an actor known for his roles on That 70’s Show and  Dude, Where’s My Car?—he truly does embody Jobs. From his unique mannerisms, walk and speech pattern to his high-strung perfectionism, Kutcher nails the role in every way. His performance is only surpassed by Josh Gad as Wozniak. I’m not exaggerating when I say Gad’s performance can be likened to Jonah Hill’s Oscar-nominated turn in Moneyball (though Jobs’ weaknesses will likely keep Gad from receiving the recognition he deserves). The film also features strong performances by the always entertaining J.K. Simmons as Arthur Rock and the underutilized Ron Eldard and Rod Holt.

However, Jobs’ positives end with the cast. The overall story feels disjointed as we skip through the highlights (and lowlights) of Apple’s start-up and subsequent struggles. Story elements are introduced and then all but forgotten, such as Jobs’ deteriorated relationship with longtime-friend Daniel Kottke (played by Lucas Haas). More notably, his time spent away from Apple, Jobs’ biggest period of personal growth and self-realization, is skipped over in a montage of television news clips.

Another major shortcoming of this film is the events the producers chose to highlight. One scene shows Jobs as a likeable and empathetic guy, while the next he’s made out to be an impossible, borderline despicable human being. Although the moments show him as a flawed individual, they are hardly reflected on and left audiences confused as to whether they should appreciate the man or not.

Overall, Jobs wastes an opportunity to be the second coming of the The Social Network and is at its core an unsatisfying movie. If the story of Steve Jobs is one that interests you or if you’re a fan of the actors featured in this movie, you may find some enjoyment in it.  I can’t, however, recommend paying more than the going rate at your local Red Box.

My Rating: 2.5 Stars (out of 5)

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