Steve Jobs (2015) - "Living For The Boyle" Series

Welcome to the LIVING FOR THE BOYLE review series!  Daniel Francis Boyle originally hailed from Manchester, England and his filmmaking career took off thirty years ago in 1995 with the release of acclaimed cult thriller Shallow Grave.  And ever since then, Danny Boyle (as he’s officially known) has carved out a uniquely successful career not only achieving box office success several times but also winning a few Oscars along the way.  During this time period, he has also become one of MY personal favorite directors, having helmed excellent ORIGINAL stories spanning several genres including children’s fantasy, science fiction, crime drama, horror, and biopic.  Over the next few months, I will be reviewing some of my favorite entries from his filmography in the lead-up to the long-awaited sequel to one of his more successful films….28 Years Later which will be released in the U.S. on June 20!

From the Oscar-winning writer (Aaron Sorkin) of The Social Network comes another "Based Upon a True Story" exploration of one of the titans of the digital revolution, this time the titular Steve Jobs played by Oscar-nominee Michael Fassbender (Shame, Black Bag).  This story takes behind the scenes in the lead-up to three VERY different product launches headlined by the eventual Apple CEO in 1984, 1988, and culminating in 1998 with the launch of the revoluationairy IMac computer for home and office use.  Along the way, we not only learn about the various ups-and-downs of the Apple/Mac brand as overseen by Jobs but much of his personal drama as well, especially his tumultuous relationship with his daughter Lisa.  This Oscar nominated drama was directed by Boyle and featured a stellar cast including Kate Winslet, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jeff Daniels, and Seth Rogen.

Host & Editor: Geoff Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

“Living for the Boyle” Series:

Welcome to the Living for the BOYLE series.  Daniel Francis Boyle originally hailed from Manchester, England and his filmmaking career took off thirty years ago in 1995 with the release of acclaimed cult thriller Shallow Grave.  And ever since then, Danny Boyle (as he’s officially known) has carved out a uniquely successful career not only achieving box office success several times but also winning a few Oscars along the way.  During this time period, he has also become one of MY personal favorite directors, having helmed excellent ORIGINAL stories spanning several genres including children’s fantasy, science fiction, crime drama, horror, and biopic.  Over the next few months, I will be reviewing some of my favorite entries from his filmography in the lead-up to the long-awaited sequel to one of his more successful films….28 Years Later which will be released in the U.S. on June 20!  (Music playing over)

STEVE JOBS – 2015           Directed by Danny Boyle

Starring Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg, Katherine Waterston, Perla Haney-Jardine, Ripley Sobo, Makenzie Moss, Sarah Snook, Adam Shapiro, and John Ortiz

Genre: Biopic (Audio clip)

Rewatching this again, I an once again confounded by my reaction to it. 🤔 I have never been an Apple person (owned an IPod Classic for music for a few years, that's about it), I have never found Steve Jobs to be a particularly compelling figure, I have always found the cult-like reactions to his product launches to be ridiculous, I personally find it difficult to emphasize with the inner turmoil of corrupt tech billionaires (Sorry but if I have to hear ONE more "But he's AUTISTIC" to defend Elon....just f@#k off! 😆) and sorry again but....I have found the Aaron Sorkin style of writing in most of his more recent projects to be increasingly smug and self-congratulatory. And having adapted this and structured it VERY much like one of his stage plays, this has Sorkin's handprints all over it....

Yet I find this film moving and engaging for most of its runtime....the stuff related to his daughter Lisa (played winningly by three different actresses) even has me tearing up at points. Why?!? Well for one thing it's gotta be the cast. Fassbender playing Jobs is a masterstroke - he's always had the chilliness down but he has always brought an effortless cool to it which helps. He's a charisma machine and you need that to BUY how this rabid world of followers will follow him even after two dismal failures. Beyond that, his American accent sounds convincing, he's got a handle on the Sorkinese rhythms (plus all of the technical jargon), AND....when it comes to having such a near-perfect male specimen portraying genuine torment and regret on his face, Fassbender is about as good as anyone! (Just watch him in Shame) 

Beyond him, I have to wonder if any actress was EVER better at not only handling the Sorkiny rat-a-tat-tat but delivering it with passion and humanity than Kate Winslet who plays Jobs' head of marketing (and personal whisperer) Joanna Hoffman. Winslet absolutely steals this movie with every witty comeback, exasperated reaction, her matronly energy, and the just the overall counter-balance of warmth she brings alongside Fassbender's Jobs dickishness throughout! :) They're fantastic together on-screen, almost playing like an old-fashioned love story....but gratefully, the film's screenplay never even hints at romance nor explores it. (Thank you Aaron) 

The rest of the cast is pretty great too with sharp turns from Jeff Daniels, Seth Rogen, John Ortiz, early Sarah Snook, and the always delightful Michael Stuhlbarg playing the rumpled tech whiz Andy Hertzfeld. Seriously I have never seen Stuhlbarg deliver a performance where I just don't like him off the bat. ;) And he comes through with some genuinely uncomfortable back-and-forth's with Fassbender's Jobs who can never NOT be a prick to this guy! 

BOYLE-ing Point (Over his 30 year career, Danny Boyle has not only proven adept at mastering a variety of genres but he also managed to leave his personal stamp EACH time…whether that be through casting, music, and/or shot selection.  This is THE signature moment within this film when it is most obvious that we are enjoying a Danny Boyle joint!):

Given this film screenplay’s obvious three act stage play structure, you need the right type of director to bring some visual oomph to it while not taking away from the overall tone and themes of the story.  And THAT'S where Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, Sunshine) comes through! As he did with seemingly unfilmable true-life content just a few years prior with the dazzling 127 Hours, he helps transform the uncinematic into something very cinematic. 🤗 As a result, he's throwing a lot of potentially distracting stuff into the mix whether it be Dutch angles, cross-cutting, flashbacks-within-flashbacks, POV inserts, etc.....and it genuinely works for the most part, feeling very organic to the story. With ONE exception….which I’ll get to in just a bit.  However the pacing and gee-whiz visual flair which pervades the story throughout…..well THAT’S Boyle and previous collaborator (on previous episode Sunshine) DP Alvin Kuchler.  

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

With a time-hopping story like this, you would THINK it might be peppered with era-specific pop needle-drops…..and there are a couple, most notably a Bob Dylan one over the closing credits.  However, the lion’s share of the music comes from a pretty unique – often low-key – synth score from the UK”s own Daniel Pemberton who has done some pretty notable stuff in recent years, most notably previous episode Spider-Man: Across the Universe. (Audio clip) 

And JUST like that virtuoso score, there are subtle shifts in mood based on the tone of what’s occurring on-screen.  The highlight for this occurs about an hour in towards the end of the SECOND product launch segment as Joanna is pulling out of Steve some under-the-table plans he has to return to Apple post THIS particular launch for a non-Apple product.  He then justifies this by basically explaining a “fake it until you make it” strategy and brings up Skylab…..which in one of this film’s more obvious flights of fancy we see footage of projected on the wall behind them. (Audio clip) 

As I alluded to earlier, THIS is one of Boyle’s personal touches as a director and it wouldn’t always work within a more typically grounded biopic like this one but what sells it is not only Fassbender’s performance but the catchy, increasingly hopeful music which we hear over it…it also sounds VERY ‘80’s which makes sense since this sequence takes place in 1988.  This track from the soundtrack is fittingly called, “The Skylab Plan.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

Now as previously mentioned, I feel as if there is ONE particular character and subplot which is done a slight disservice by both the structure and style of this movie…..and that would be the dramatization of former Apple CEO John Scully played by Jeff Daniels.  And here’s the thing: none of this is Daniels’ fault….he’s got the chops for the role and at the time, he was already a proven adept collaborator with Sorkin as the star of the HBO show, “The Newsroom.”  Daniels is actually one of THE best when it comes to delivering Sorkin’s style of dialogue, best exemplified by the now ICONIC speech he gives regarding “America’s Greatness” at the beginning of that show’s premiere episode. (Audio clip) 

Undoubtedly there’s an undeniably charged back-and-forth between these two actors, BOTH adeptly portraying what was a very contentious relationship between Jobs and Scully.  However given how examining that relationship requires not only the use of flashbacks – but flashbacks WITHIN flashbacks – it bogs things down in their scenes together.  (Audio clip) 

Look maybe it’s just me but even on my fourth or fifth rewatch of this movie, I’m STILL finding myself a bit confused as to what happened to whom and when and where.  It’s just too much cutting even though I get the need to do so given how they want to adhere to this film’s structure of the lead-up to THREE distinct product launches.  Which is a shame because BOTH actors are genuinely bringing it in these sequences….most notably Daniels’ as these are his only scenes.  It’s likely the film’s biggest misstep. (Audio clip)  

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie): 

I THOUGHT that this would be a difficult choice given how this film is basically just a SERIES…of…MOMENTS.  But it’s easy and I’m going to go the obvious route with what SEEMS – at least according to YouTube or Tik Tok or Instagram reels or whatever the kids are watching these days – that THIS particular sequence is the most quoted and much of that has to be due to witnessing a pretty beloved IMHO widely known COMEDIC actor finally given something full-on dramatic to deliver on the big screen….AND knocking it out of the park no less.  I’m referring to Seth Rogen who plays the LEGENDARY co-creator of the Apple computer, Steve Wozniak.  (Audio clip) 

It occurs late in the film literally minutes before the FINAL product launch of the IMac…..it’s ALL dialogue occuring in a mostly empty auditorium with JUST a large enough smattering of attendants on-site that it feels SUPER-awkward…..AND it’s 100% invented BULLSHIT by Sorkin in that it never actually happened – though I think in an interview since then, Wozniak has said he WISHES it had.  AND it’s also 100% RIVETING!  Apparently it’s been playfully nicknamed online as the “Battle of the Steves” and I LOVE the calmly confident punch with which Rogen delivers the last word. (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film): 

At the end of the day, this delivers all of the heart and energy we have come to expect from the best Danny Boyle joints, despite its subject matter.  But make no mistake despite my criticisms, this is PEAK Sorkin who really brings the heat too with loads of quotable dialogue and some rather compelling back-and-forths between characters. They strangely work quite well together....enough for me to even care about sales projections for the IMac. 😆 (I used one for a few months at a former job around the time of the initial launch in '98, they WERE dimittedly cool!) And while I don’t believe this is Boyle’s best work and even among the STERLING cast, there HAVE been better peformances from both Fassbender and Winslet.  And yes I’ve SEEN A Few Good Men and The Social Network….but I’m going to make possibly slightly controversial statement that for delivering what I believe MIGHT his best overall screenplay, Aaron Sorkin is the MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Yeah Sorkin is a strange one….I love The Social Network but I think I love this one even more as it just feels more raw, it’s certainly more R-rated, and I feel like all of the computer jargon just REALLY matches up well with his writing style.  Happy Tenth Anniversary to an underappreciated gem resulting from a unique blend of talent in front of AND behind the camera. 

Streaming on Prime Video

And that ends another PROPRIETARY review!