I was worried about this movie coming in because while the trailer looked good I was worried about the final product. I read through Steve Jobs biography on Wikipedia a couple days before going to see this so I had some knowledge going into it.
First, the acting was very good. The story of Steve Jobs was depicted well, or at least to the best of my knowledge. Like I said, I didn’t know a whole lot about the guy going in, so I can’t verify it’s historical accuracy, but it definitely played out like a story. Despite Ashton Kutcher being known for his comedy work, his representation was convincing and I found no major faults with it. I’d say it’s worthy of a Best Actor nomination.
Despite the good acting, this movie left a bitter taste in my mouth. I don’t think it’s the movie’s fault so much as it is the story of Steve Jobs himself. The problem is that Steve Jobs wasn’t kind of a jerk, he was a jerk. The guy was given up at birth and was very hurt by that and yet when his girlfriend got pregnant, he abandoned her and did exactly what his parents did to him. He refused to give any stock to the guys who helped him get the business on its feet. He betrayed all of his friends except for Woz. He also lied to Woz at the beginning of the movie and said that his boss was paying him $700 for the game Woz helped him build, not the $5000 that he was actually getting paid. Two character traits that I hold most dear are loyalty and honesty, and Jobs didn’t have either of them.
He was a businessman who was always doing what was best for the business. Perhaps not giving his friends stock in the company was the right choice from a business standpoint, but it wasn’t right from a fair, moral standard. Everything was his way or the highway. Every time someone disagreed with him, he was either demoted or fired. He was a terrible people-person, who was horrible at teamwork, if that word was even in his vocabulary.
He desired to create something that had never been seen before, to change the world. There are plenty of people who have a similar dream, to do something extraordinary, to be remembered, to create a legacy for oneself. It’s the way he went about it that was wrong. He felt the ends justified the means and he would do anything to get there. Whatever it was, he was willing to do it to be remembered. The only problem was the genius forgot that how he got there would be remembered, too. People will remember how he failed to acknowledge his daughter for many years and vehemently denied it to everyone who asked. How he was one of the most demanding and domineering people on the planet, and was willing to deplore whatever treachery, deceit, and dishonesty necessary to get it his way.
Once again, if you’re new to my blog, I’ve always ranked movies on a scale of 0-100 (I don’t know why, I just always have). Here’s the grading scale.
90-100 It’s a great movie and definitely one worth buying. (Iron Man 3, World War Z, 42)
80-89 It was a pretty good movie and definitely one worth seeing, but it doesn’t quite scratch my top ten percentile. (Star Trek Into Darkness, Now You See Me, Man of Steel, Monster-In-Law, White House Down)
70-79 It’s okay but I’ve seen better. It has its moments, but it has its flaws, too. (Oblivion, The Wolverine, Jagged Edge, Elysium)
60-69 It’s got plenty wrong with it but I still got enjoyment out of this one. (Pacific Rim)
50-59 This movie isn’t intolerable but it’s not blowing my mind either. I’m trying really hard to get some sort of enjoyment out of this. (The Hobbit, After Earth, Road to Perdition, Total Recall)
40-49 This movie is just mediocre. It’s not doing anything other than the bare minimal, so morbidly boring that sometimes I’m actually angry I watched this. (Patriot Games)
30-39 Definitely worse than mediocre, the 30’s ironically define the 1930’s, full of depression, lack of accomplishments, poverty and just so dumb. (The Contract, Pride and Prejudice)
20-29 What did I just watch? Cliches, stupidity, nothingness, did I mention stupidity? Just…wow. (The Sum of All Fears)
0-19 Watching this movie resulted in one or more of the following: seizure, loss of brain cells, falling asleep/unconsciousness, feel you wasted your time/day, accomplished nothing for you, left the movie knowing less about it then you did going into it, constantly asking yourself why you came to see this movie, or near-death experience. In short, staring at a wall was just as entertaining as watching this movie. This movie deserved a sticker or a label that said, “WARNING: EXTREME AMOUNT OF SUCKAGE.” (Midnight Cowboy)
My score for Jobs: 83.
Despite my dislike for this movie, I can’t ignore the good acting and storytelling that took place in it. You care about the characters, at least I did, except for Steve Jobs. I just can’t connect with the character man that he was.
There’s a monologue in the middle of the movie that Woz (Josh Gad) gives that was truly heart-warming and touching. In it, Woz says, “Not everyone has an agenda, Steve.” That’s exactly who Steve Jobs was, someone who had an agenda and nothing more. The guy had blinders on, his head focused straight ahead, hypnotized by the goal of creative vision and success. He failed to notice all the havoc he caused and lives he damaged, because it was all about “keeping the eye on the ball”. For me, that severely degrades his accomplishments. I’ll continue to use my Ipod Nano when I listen to music and continue to use those Apple Desktops in my design classes at school, but every time someone mentions the name Steve Jobs, all I’ll be able to think is, “that guy was a prick.”
*SPOILER ALERT* IF YOU DON’T WANT THE MOVIE SPOILED, STOP READING !!!
*SPOILER’S EDITION*
Sorry guys, nothing to spoil. It’s a biography film so…
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