I was fortunate enough to see an advance screening of this film, and I am glad I was given the opportunity because I want to make sure people see this film. Right of the bat, I want to make something clear: this is not the best film of the year. There are several flaws with the film that stick out, but I cannot deny that this is a well made film with some fantastic performances.
What You Make Isn’t Supposed To Be The Best Part Of You
There are plenty of reasons to see this film, the biggest reason is the cast. Everyone was top notch, but there were two that really stand out are Kate Winslet and Michael Fassbender. Both of them absolutely transform into their characters, especially Winslet. Her mannerisms, and accent are so convincing that I initially was not sure if that was her. She was able to portray the character with remarkable stoicism, but had several moments where she allowed herself to break down. What was even more impressive is that she was able to stand out in a film centered around Steve Jobs. Fassbender got most of the best scenes, but Winslet proved once more that she is able to make a side character stand out. As far as Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs, he was absolutely electric. Every time he was on screen my eyes were glued onto him. He approached the character with such intensity, but conveyed some vulnerability as well. He also had to convey a wide array of emotions in a very short amount of time. One minute he’s angry, another he is giddy with excitement, or he is remorseful. Both actors did a remarkable job and seriously deserve some recognition from The Academy. Again, the rest of the cast did a great job as well, but these two were the ones that stood out to me. The film also had a great script penned by Aaron Sorkin. It is not his best script (more on that later), but it is able to fit in so much information about Steve Jobs in a very clever way. The film is basically structured in a way that it explores Steve Jobs through 3 significant moments in his life. I thought this was a great way of approaching the material because you were able to see how the characters grew (or did not) and how their relationships evolved over time. There may be a secondary focus on what Steve Jobs was able to accomplish with Apple, but the focus is on who Steve Jobs really is. Adding further praise to the film, the pacing felt perfect. I never felt like the film was dragging on and was consistently entertained, which is due in part to Danny Boyle’s sharp direction. Lastly, I want to mention that the music is outstanding. I cannot wait until the soundtrack is released because I will be checking it out.
I Play The Orchestra
Unfortunately, the film has several flaws that stuck with me. First of all, Sorkin’s script could have been a bit better. He had many callbacks to events that happened in previous scenes, which were funny but unnecessary. Sorkin’s scripts tend to teeter on the line of realistic and unrealistic, but this one is more unrealistic than previous scripts. This is not necessarily bad, but for a film that is essentially a biographical picture, it makes the film feel too “hollywood”. Biographical pictures should be more grounded in reality because they are representations of real people and real events. Again, I rather enjoyed the script, but it just went to the point where the characters in the film did not sound like normal people. Another problem with the script, and perhaps direction, is the ending. Without delving into spoilers, I felt like the film ended on far too of a happy note. This has to do with the character of Steve Jobs himself. He makes some decisions that felt a bit odd for his character. If there was more of a build up to these decisions, then it would have worked better, but that is how I feel about the ending that we got. Another minor gripe is actually with the cinematography and visuals. Danny Boyle is an impressive visual director, but I did not see much of that in this film. There were occasional scenes that had fascinating visuals, and fantastic cinematography, but they were few and far between. Most of the cinematography was serviceable, but not up to the level that I expect from a Danny Boyle film.
Closing Remarks
Even though I had several problems with this film, I really did enjoy it. Along with memorable performances, a memorable score, and pretty solid writing and directing, you get a unique glimpse into the man behind one of the largest brands in the world. In case you are wondering, this if far better than the film starring Ashton Kutcher. Steve Jobs should be coming out to theaters sometime in later October, and I highly encourage you see it.