Movie Review: JOBS

Jobs details the life and times of Apple Computer founder Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher), with the movie exploring the dynamic visionary's early days as a struggling student and eventually progressing through to his creation (and subsequent loss of) Apple. Despite its seemingly foolproof subject matter, Jobs, for much of its disastrously overlong running time, comes off as a generic and hopelessly stale biopic that seems to have emerged directly from a template for such movies - with Matt Whiteley's paint-by-numbers screenplay containing most of the attributes that one associates with the genre (ie the film even transpires entirely in flashback after opening with an older Jobs presenting the first iPod). The underwhelming atmosphere is perpetuated by an erratic narrative that grows more and more repetitive as time goes by, with Whiteley's decision to hop from one milestone in Jobs' career to the next resulting in a midsection that couldn't possibly be less interesting. Far more problematic is director Joshua Michael Stern's refusal (or inability) to transform the title character into a sympathetic (or even compelling) figure, as Stern, working from Whiteley's surface-level script, generally avoids delving too deeply into Jobs' personal life and instead focuses on his work persona - which ensures that Jobs, for the most part, comes off as an arrogant, self-centered taskmaster with few redeeming qualities. (Kutcher's competent yet standoffish performance only exacerbates this feeling.) 

Jobs' ideologies, beliefs and influences are completely missed out on. His troubled past, which made him the unstoppable force he was, also, find no mention. Kutcher, it seems, tries too hard to emulate Jobs, mimicking his walk and his talk. But still, he isn't able to portray a real enough image of the icon. And while the film admittedly does contain a few effective sequences - eg the nascent Apple team's encounter with their first investor (Dermot Mulroney's Mike Markkula) - Jobs' hackneyed sensibilities prevent it from connecting with the viewer in any real sense and it's ultimately difficult to understate the movie's colossal failure as both a biopic and a piece of entertainment. Being a Steve Jobs fan, I was really disappointed. For people wanting to know more about Jobs and the iconic company he started, I would recommend a lesser known movie, called Pirates of Silicon Valley. Though not very famous, this alternative, is far more satisfying..