After reading countless negative reviews of this film about Steve Jobs, we were reluctant, but finally decided to watch on Apple TV after it received praise for acting. Yes, there are some great acting moments. But to what end? The writer and director have grabbed some of the most absurd and off-key moments of Steve Jobs life to create a dark and mythical character.
Why was the Mac great? Ignore that. Why was his push for design so important? Make that a negative. Why did he revolutionize the modern era? He was narrow and flawed.
This movie would have you believe the whole era of Apple was based on a few childhood fears and an obsession for working too much. At times, it felt like Steve Jobs was running for president and the writer and director ran the opposition campaign. Dark and negative without any window into to why he was great.
Good acting in a faux story that is focused on damaging a reputation of a visionary... this film was widely criticized and lost a lot of money... but it would have you believe Apple and Steve Jobs were the failure.
We liked the acting... to a degree. But the direction was terrible. It built up three key speeches and presentations that changed Steve Jobs and Apple and our lives. However, it never gave you a taste of what they really were about.
Even people who were Steve Jobs critics say this film overlooked his charm, visionary roles and personality.
Apple sold hundreds of millions of products based on his vision... but in the end, this film just wants you to know that he was not that happy, not a devoted father, and not very good at relationships. Change the title and our historical knowledge of Steve Jobs and you just have a boring story of a man who was flawed.
Steve Jobs was flawed, but this film is far more flawed than he was in every way. I hope someone makes a biography that shares the real story.
