If you’ve been parched and unabated by Hollywood’s previous offerings on the life of Apple founder Steve Jobs, the drought is finally over.
Powered by a phenomenal cast, lead by Michael Fassbender in the title role, and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, Steve Jobs is the emotional and inspiring story of a man who not only created products that would not only change the way we work and communicate forever but rebuild himself in the process.
If you are expecting a long, drawn out, biopic that chronicles every facet of Jobs’ life, including his bout with cancer, this is not that story. Told in three acts: his beginnings with apple, his dismissal from apple, and his triumphant return, watchers are given a bird’s eye view into the life of an innovative genius that sprung forth from humble beginnings rooted in the belief he was a person given up instead of one chosen.
Act one opens with Jobs’ on the eve of the reveal of his creation the Macintosh computer. A huge feat for a young entrepreneur in a well established industry. The rub? The computer is supposed to say “Hello” but won’t. As Jobs threatens and cajoles Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg) into making it work before the press enters the presentation room, Jobs also finds time to engage in a showdown with his young daughter and her mother (Makenzie Moss, then Perla Haney-Jardine and Katherine Waterston) and verbally spar with apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen) about expressing appreciation for the teams of people who put Apple on the map prior to the release of the Macintosh.
Act two chronicles Jobs life after his departure from Apple, years of new product development and tedious attempts at cultivating a relationship with his eldest daughter (whom he initially denied paternity but ultimately proven the father by a court of law). After years of fumbling and failed attempts at communication, they finally reach relationship “normalcy” devoid of the traditional affection between fathers and daughters.
The final stanza is the eve of the release of the new Macintosh heightened by Jobs ceremonious return to Apple. As the press and invited guests eagerly away the product reveal, the atmosphere is electric as Jobs is poised to achieve the tech industry domination he’s long craved.
Despite years of enduring his boorish and gauche personality one thing is resonates through the telling of the story, those around him believe in him. They firmly tether him to real life and refuse to turn their backs despite his repeated attempts to push them away, most notably his right hand, marketing expert Joanna Hoffman, played expertly by Kate Winslett.
The film is intense, and dialogue driven, so don’t speak or you may miss something important. In the end, you’ll feel inspired… and desperate to pull you iPhone out of your pocket and use it.