Starring: Michael Fassbender, Seth Rogen, Kate Winslet, Jeff Daniels
Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs
Director: Danny Boyle
Rating: 3.5/5
Steve Jobs is one of the most talked about movies of the autumn as it marks the return of Danny Boyle to the director's chair, for the first time since Trance back in 2013.
It is always exciting when a Boyle movie is on the horizon and while Steve Jobs has not been a big hit at the box office, it is a film that has been winning over the critics left, right, and centre.
Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.
Steve Jobs was an interesting guy and it is not hard to see why we have seen two movies made about him in such a small space of time - I would stick with this one if I were you. However, the main flaw with this film is that they try to cram too much story into such a small space of time.
At time the film does feel a little rushed and perhaps the script doesn't go as deep into the Jobs character and the relationships in his life as you would like. But that doesn't mean that what Boyle and co have produced is not an entertaining and funny watch.
Michael Fassbender is just terrific in the title role as he really gives himself heart and soul to this performance. Of course, Jobs is an icon of our time and helped to change the world forever, but Boyle and Fassbender were not afraid to show the imperfections of this man.
At times, Jobs is a truly horrible man who is self-obsessed, rude, and fails to appreciate the people around him and the work that they do. But it is these imperfections and difficult relationships that make him such a fascinating character and the film such an interesting watch.
Fassbender takes the not so nice aspects of Jobs' character and really runs with it - at times you just want to jump up and punch him in the face. Fassbender really was the only choice for this role and he is outstanding from start to finish. There is a lot of talk about Fassbender being a potential Best Actor Oscar nominee and if he is not nominated for this, then Macbeth should see him in the race; there is no way he can be overlooked after turning in two truly magnificent performances this autumn.
There are great supporting performances from Jeff Daniels and Seth Rogen, but it is Kate Winslet who really does shine as Joanna Hoffman, a role that she fought to land.
Hoffman was the put up assistant and marketing executive for Apple, someone who was incredibly loyal to Jobs and not afraid to tell him the true. The scenes between Fassbender and Winslet are some of the best as Hoffman tries to show Jobs the error of his ways; particularly when it came to his family. I think Winslet should also be in the Oscar mix for this great performance.
I have been a fan of Boyle for many years and I love the way that he has managed to capture the excitement and hysteria that was generated every time a new product was released. He really has captured the period well and how consumers were excited and the technological future that they were on the cusp of.
With Steve Jobs, Boyle has delivered a movie that is as entertaining as it is interesting with a stunning and incredibly charismatic central performance from Fassbender. However, when it comes to the biopic, Steve Jobs is not a movie that reinvents the wheel and there is a real issues of trying to cram too much story into 122 minutes.
Steve Jobs is out now.
Tagged in Danny Boyle Michael Fassbender Steve Jobs