A Visionary's Nightmare

Jobs

Over time, movies have been a medium used to tell a story. Most people think ‘story’ and they think a work of fiction. Though not all stories have to be fake. Stories can be true and told about amazing people or even unremarkable events. Film is a great way to see into the lives of some of those people and events, films such as Ray or United 93. Added to this list of films is a story about a visionary who changed the way we use technology on a whole… Steve Jobs.

The funny thing about this review is that I’m going to dive right in to what I thought of this film. The reason I am going to do that is that we all have most likely seen a few biographical movies in our day. We all know that it starts at some point in the persons’ life and goes until the film portrays them as king of the world. This film is no different. It begins in 2001 with the staff introduction of the iPod, skips backwards to 1974 when Jobs is in college and moves forward from there. This film was a jumbled mess. It seemed to me that whoever produced this film wanted this film out so badly that he/she was going to give the world whatever on print. There is emphasis on when Apple was created and then on nothing else except how Jobs loses his company and gains it back again. It dips into the visions Jobs had for his company, but it doesn’t show us any real landmark moments in Apple.

I can honestly say that the only bright spot in the whole film (and it isn’t really saying much) is Ashton Kutchers performance. When I say bright spot, I mean that it is a gray spot on a black canvas. Kutcher is believable as Jobs, but he portrays him as an ass and almost arrogant at times. I understand, to a point, why this was. I think it was not to over glorify him, to show that he had his faults. I just think they went a little overboard with it.

With so many of Jobs’ accomplishments in the world of technology, the writers and director chose to focus on the business aspect of Apple. I just walked away from this film almost let down because for some of us that don’t really know Steve Jobs and what he meant to us nerds, this film didn’t help. The film might have even made it more confusing.

The Verdict: Watch When Nothing Else Is On.