In this Ashton Kutcher biopic, we find Steve Jobs to be abrasive, rude, maniacal, and an all around asshole. And yes, those are his GOOD features. We start off with Steve and fellow Apple alumni hanging out and coming up with the idea for something called a personal computer. Right off the bat Steve demands perfection and summarily fires anyone who gets in his way. He makes the classic creative genius mistake of forming a corporation and giving away control of his company by not putting butts he owns in those seats on the Board. It’s no surprise when he is shown the door and further no surprise that Apple suffers from his absence.
Not being a huge fan of Steve Jobs I knew next to nothing about him, other than the fact that he and Bill Gates stole the foundation of the Mac and Windows from Xerox PARC, something never even mentioned here. There is a brief tirade where Jobs yells at Gates, but that is about it. So almost everything that happens in Jobs comes as a surprise to me. I didn’t know he disowned his daughter for no reason, that he cheated several founders of Apple out of their share of the billions, or that he was just a complete and total asshole.
I recognized the Super Bowl ad from 1984, not because I paid it any attention at the time, but because it has been hailed as one of the greatest commercials of all time. The great and powerful Woz is given the role of side kick to Jobs, even though there is a scene where he talks about how it was all his idea, his design, and his work that made Apple possible. He gives the speech on his way out the door, because, well, Steve Jobs is a major asshole.
The story ends long before we have a chance to see Jobs get cancer, after all, that might have given us some sympathy for the character-and this film will have none of that. The only even remotely positive footage of Jobs sees him pulling carrots and doing a bit of gardening. I’m sure if I went back and watched it again, I would see him being an asshole to the carrots as well.
At least the makers of Jobs picked a theme and stuck with it.
