I usually tackle three reviews at a time on LNB, but this will probably be a long one. When I first saw Steve Jobs in the movie theater with Jen, I was distracted by what appeared to be Aaron Sorkin on hyper-drive.
Sorkin, who famously wrote A Few Good Men, The West Wing, The Social Network and Moneyball, seemed to be pushing the boundaries of rapid-fire, back-and-forth banter. Steve Jobs (Fassbender), his trusted assistant Joanna Hoffman (Winslet), original partner Steve Wozniak (Rogen), programmer Andy Hertzfeld (Stuhlbarg) and CEO/father figure John Sculley (Daniels) were ping-ponging dialogue so quickly that I could barely keep up with the full scope of the story. So, I came out of the movie feeling like it was somewhere around a 7 out of 10.
But, like many other greats, Steve Jobs is a film that grows on you with multiple viewings.
The more I watched the film on HBO On Demand, the more I picked up the beautiful nuances of Sorkin's scorching screenplay. The first time through, I wasn't very familiar with the names Wozniak, Sculley, Hertzfeld, Avie Tevanian (Adam Shapiro) or even Dan Kottke, so quick references slipped past me. Now, having seen it many times, I understand that knowing the key names and their backgrounds allows the viewer to appreciate the spectacular specificity of Sorkin's script. The more you understand about the nuances, the more powerful the central conflicts become.
And those central conflicts are mesmerizing thanks to an absolutely incredible cast. Steve Jobs doesn't have any superheroes (unless you count Jobs himself), car chases, explosions or shootouts, and it isn't really a plot movie either; it's an actors' showcase, all the way through. In indirect ways, it reminds me of David Mamet's biting Glengarry Glen Ross, a dialogue-driven film that places dynamic performances by Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey and Alec Baldwin above sets, cinematography and style. I suppose the comparison isn't a stretch, as the writing styles of Mamet and Sorkin have often been juxtaposed over the years.
Specific to Sorkin's cast, I feel Michael Fassbender was robbed of Best Actor at the Oscars, as Leonardo DiCaprio picked up what appeared to be a career achievement award for his gritty work in The Revenant.
Fassbender, who burst into the limelight with supporting roles in successful films like 300, Inglourious Basterds and Prometheus, is one of the most gifted screen actors in the world right now. In Basterds -- one of my all-time favorite movies -- he doesn't enter the frame until Operation Kino, and yet he feels like a lead to me. His versatility, charm and pure skill hit you right between the eyes as he bites down on Quentin Tarantino's juicy dialogue. He has the magical magnetism of a true movie star, and he's apparently a really nice guy, too.
In Sorkin and director Danny Boyle's (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) interpretation of Jobs' legend, he is defined by his power struggles with those closest to him, from his professional colleagues (namely Wozniak and Sculley) to his scatterbrained ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan (an effectively shrill Katherine Waterston) and neglected daughter Lisa, who is well played by three different young actresses: Makenzie Moss, Ripley Sobo and Perla Haney-Jardine.
I think Steve Jobs is at its best when its title character is jousting with "Woz" and thundering away at Sculley. Rogen, one of my absolute favorite personalities in Hollywood, more than holds his own in a serious role alongside very serious actors like Fassbender, Winslet and Stuhlbarg. In particular, he hits home when he implores Jobs that "it's not binary; you can be decent and gifted at the same time."
I also enjoy the way he delivers, "We go back, so don't talk to me like I'm other people. I'm the only one that knows that this guy here is someone you invented. I'm standing by you because that perfect cube -- that does nothing -- is about to become the single biggest failure in the history of personal computing." Ouch.
Daniels, who developed his mastery of Sorkin's cadence and rhythm on HBO's The Newsroom, is pitch-perfect as Sculley, Apple's first legitimate CEO. His dynamics with Jobs are multi-layered: Jobs handpicked Sculley away from Pepsi, the two became very close -- to the point where Daniels' character even refers to himself as a "father figure" -- but Jobs is fully committed the Mac, whereas Sculley prefers the company's only moneymaker, the Apple II. Jobs looks 15 or 20 years ahead, while Sculley looks directly at the proof of the present. We begin to realize that they are destined for a break-up.
All aspects considered, Steve Jobs is a surprisingly exhilarating film. At its core, its a movie about people conversing prior to computer product launches. Doesn't sound like much, right? But Sorkin, Fassbender, Winslet, Daniels, Rogen and Boyle somehow make it stimulating, intense and hypnotic.
It doesn't quite match The Social Network (which I score as a 10/10) because David Fincher's visual style is far more interesting than Boyle's and Trent Reznor's score surpasses Daniel Pemberton's, but Steve Jobs is a difficult movie to knock for anyone who likes sharp dialogue, fantastic performances and interesting real-life figures.
Watch it...more than once.
** FRO'S RATING: 9.5 out of 10 **
** FRO'S RATING: 9.5 out of 10 **
LNB's Updated Rankings:
1. Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
2. A Perfect Murder (9/10)
3. Bad Moms (9/10)
4. The Revenant (8.5/10)
5. The Shallows (7.5/10)
6. The Night Before (7/10)
7. 10 Cloverfield Lane (7/10)
8. The Walk (7/10)
9. Joy (5.5/10)
10. The Program (3/10)
11. Mother's Day (2/10)
12. Rings (1.5/10)
10. The Program (3/10)
11. Mother's Day (2/10)
12. Rings (1.5/10)
Reviews to Come...
Zero Dark Thirty
Untraceable
The Wonder Boys
Jackie Brown
Mean Streets
Nerve
The Hateful Eight
The Seven Five
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
How to Be Single
Basquiat
Deadpool
Ratatouille
The Spectacular Now
The Visit
Loving
In Bruges
Nocturnal Animals
War Dogs
And more...
The Visit
Loving
In Bruges
Nocturnal Animals
War Dogs
And more...
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