Only skin deep
This ambitious biopic is so intent on portraying Steve Jobs the legend that it forgets about the man.
JOBS tells the story of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, whose passion and vision changed the way the world looked at computers, personal entertainment devices and phones, and took us into the “i-era”.
Set between the years 1971 and 1991, the movie chronicles his college days (from when he dropped out of Reed College), to his job as a technician at video game maker Atari, to the founding of Apple Computer in his parents’ garage, and finally to the creation of the revolutionary iPod.
Making a movie about legendary figures is always risky. There is the concern that the actor cast to portray the legend is not the right choice, or that the story is not accurate or gripping enough.
While Ashton Kutcher’s portrayal of Jobs is admirable, the story itself is draggy and seems to be more about Apple the company, than Steve Jobs the man. This is one of its biggest problems, especially when it is described as a biopic.
Although the movie has a 127-minute running time, there are still many gaps and unanswered questions, especially if the viewer is not familiar with Jobs’ personal life.
For example, when Jobs’ girlfriend tells him she’s pregnant, he is convinced that the baby is not his, and that she cheated on him. Over the next few years, we see his denial that the child (Lisa) is his, although a DNA test states 95% probability. Fast-forward to the days after he is ousted from Apple and has reverted somewhat to his hippie roots, and we see some typical father-daughter interaction when he attempts to wake his now teenage daughter, Lisa.
There is no explanation as to how that relationship was built; instead, the audience is just expected to accept it. There are moments like this throughout the movie, and that makes it difficult to connect with Jobs as a person.
Jobs, in his lifetime, was hailed as a perfectionist, pushing the boundaries of what was possible, making personal computers more accessible, user-friendly and appealing. Little things, such as the fonts in the user interface, which were not a priority for the programmer, were a priority for him.
It was this perfectionism and his drive to make Apple products better and different from the rest that got him ousted from the company.
It was also his single-minded ambition that alienated him not just from his peers, but also his friend and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak.
While these developments must have been both devastating turning points in his life, the movie skips right over them and the audience isn’t privy to that emotional journey, nor what led to Jobs’ founding of NeXT, or even how Apple and NeXT began talks of a buyout.
These are crucial points in Jobs’ life, and yet there is only a bare acknowledgement of them. Again, this makes it rather difficult to connect with the on-screen Jobs on any level, and while the movie itself provides a decent back story on Apple, it lacks the depth needed to develop the title character as a person.
Instead, it relies a little too heavily on supposedly inspirational speeches and musical crescendos to carry it, becoming cheesy rather than classic. Jobs’ coining of the motto “think different”, lacks the wow factor that the filmmakers were obviously going for.
Kutcher has come very far from Kelso in That ’70s Show and it is obvious in his portrayal of Steve Jobs that he has matured and grown as an actor. He has done a commendable job, especially given the pale dialogue and poor direction he was given.
While he embraces the role, his mimicry of Jobs’ walk and hunched shoulders is just that – mimicry. It is awkward, and ruins an otherwise great performance.
That’s not to say that there are no redeeming points in this movie. In fact, Gad, who plays Wozniak, is the best thing about it. Gad is by turns a hippie, an inventor, and an engineer.
Most of all, he is Jobs’ moral compass, and when he realises that he no longer plays that role, he leaves Apple. Gad’s performance is true and sincere, and his is the only character to whom the audience can relate.
Jobs as a movie aims very high, but falls short. It is so caught up with portraying the legend that was Steve Jobs, that it misses many opportunities to humanise Steve Jobs as a man. In trying to be great, it forgets the little things that make all the difference.