“Jobs” is not a complete biography of one of the most influential icons of the modern age of technology. Instead, the film focuses on a slice of Apple founder Steve Jobs’ life and career.
The movie begins with Jobs introducing the IPod at the 2001 Apple town meeting. Director Joshua Michael Stern (“Swing Vote”) then takes us back to the beginning, the 1970’s, when Jobs (played by Ashton Kutcher) is a college drop-out, looking to do something exciting. He takes a job at video game company Atari, and asks friend Steve Wozniak (“The Book of Mormon”‘s Josh Gad) for help developing a new game.
Wozniak, a computer geek before anyone even knew what that was, has been working on a revolutionary “home computer”. It’s essentially a keyboard hooked-up to a television screen. Jobs immediately sees the potential. Jobs and Woz form their company – “Apple Computers” – and set-up shop in Jobs’ parents garage. They need money and finally get an investor, Mike Markkula (played by Dermot Mulroney). And so, with Jobs’ focus and dedication and Wozniak’s ability to build circuit boards (and with the help of some friends) Apple quickly begins to grow. However, Jobs and the others will face both personal and professional challenges throughout the coming years.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from “Jobs”. The film was originally scheduled to open in April, and Kutcher is best known for throwaway romantic comedies and TV shows, not dramatic movie roles. Could he pull-offa biopic of one of the most famous people of the past 50 years? The answer is a resounding ‘Yes’. The core of “Jobs” is Kutcher’s very convincing performance. And to Stern’s credit, we are shown early on in the film that Jobs wasn’t a very nice guy – to his buddies, his employees or even his girlfriend. At the same time, he’s very likeable throughout. Rarely, if ever, during the 2+ hours of “Jobs” did I think “that’s just Ashton Kutcher with a beard and eyeglasses”. Gad, also best known for his comedic talent, is solid, though somewhat underused, as Jobs’ overlooked partner.
The first 90 minutes of “Jobs” is fascinating, as we learn how it all began for Jobs and Apple. However, the film loses its bite in the final half hour, which is dominated by scenes in boardrooms with executives trying to (and succeeding in) kicking Jobs out of his own company. Mulroney, Matthew Modine (as Apple Marketing Director and future CEO John Sculley) and J.K. Simmons (as Apple Chairman of the Board of Directors Arthur Rock) do good work, but the start-up story is much more interesting than Apple’s downfall and Jobs’ comeback attempt. Stern ends his story well before Jobs’ death (from cancer) in 2011, though that is acknowledged at the end of the film.
“Jobs” is rated PG-13 for some language and brief drug content. It’s geared for a much older crowd than Kutcher’s “Two and a Half Men” audience. And you don’t need to be a computer nerd to appreciate this genuinely entertaining and well-made film that’s one 2013’s biggest surprises.
On The Official LCJ Report Card, “Jobs” gets a B.
Lights Camera Jackson (a.k.a. Jackson Murphy) began his career as a film critic in 2006 at the age of 7. To date, Jackson has written nearly 1,000 reviews of new releases and, in total, has seen more than 1,500 films. In 2010, Jackson became the youngest person to win a NY Emmy Award, for his on-air movie reviews on Time Warner TV station, Capital News 9. And in 2011, Jackson was inducted into the Broadcast Film Critics Association as their youngest member. The BFCA’s annual Critics Choice Awards is one of the industry’s most recognized and prestigious awards shows. Jackson is also a member of SAG-AFTRA and votes annually for the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Currently, Jackson can be heard every Friday morning on WGNA-FM and his reviews are also posted on his website, YouTube channel and Cultjer.com. He is also a contributor to AnimationScoop.com, run by animation historian Jerry Beck. And Jackson hosts the weekly internet pop culture news show “LCJ LIVE”, along with “The LCJ Q&A Podcast”, on which he interviews celebrities and filmmakers.