Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs, founder of Apple, owner of Pixar when it became Pixar and overall technological innovator, had a captivating life story. That explains why everyone, it seems, wants to tell it. We already had Jobs in 2013, which had Joshua Michael Stern direct Ashton Kutcher. This time, Danny Boyle directs Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs.

Aaron Sorkin reworks Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs into a clearly three-act screenplay. Each act centers around Jobs introducing one of his new products (the Macintosh, the NeXT computer and the iMac) to the public. Backstage, we see his strive for perfectionism alienate those around him.

Steve's associates Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen), Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet), and Apple CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels) both try to help him and put up with him. His former girlfriend Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston) and their daughter, Lisa, want him to acknowledge them. Steve could at least say a friendly "hello," like his innovative Macintosh, to them. So why can't he?

Fassbender perfectly renders Jobs as a flawed, innovative man. He talks about giving computers to underprivileged kids, yet won't notice the underprivileged kid (Lisa) right behind him. His innovations don't leave room for others to innovate, which lead to a few failures. Him learning to connect to the World Wide Web of people is his character arc. While others have criticized Fassbender for barely resembling Jobs, the iMac act and 1970's flashbacks show him as a good match.

Editor Elliot Graham makes Sorkin's screenstory come alive. There was never a dull moment in its 122 minutes. Each act had a clear point to tell and its supporting characters provided the recurring plot-points (and a running gag). Even if it jumped around, the story was coherent. The archive footage had a good selection of clips, especially a clip from The Simpsons.

What else to say about the movie? The supporting cast is great, as is Daniel Pemberton's electronic score. Overall, Steve Jobs is a captivating biopic. It maybe a lot of talk, but that talk will go by fast.