The film begins with a 46-year-old Steve Jobs (Kutcher) unveiling the iPod in 2001, complete with beatific music and the sort of light commonly associated with biblical revelations. Cut back to 1974, and we`re presented with a much younger Jobs who has just dropped out of college and is at the first critical juncture of his life. Screenwriter Mark Whiteley skimps on the earlier details of Jobs` life: the calligraphy classes, LSD trips and pilgrimage to India, choosing to focus instead on the trials, tribulations and successes of Apple Computer.
The rest, as they say, is history. Or, in this case perhaps, pseud-historical. The devil is not so much in the details as in director Joshua Michael Stern`s overly-reverential approach towards the founder of Apple, from the sentimental score to the magic-lighting hued scenes depicting his early years.
While the movie does depict the legendarily tempestuous personality of Jobs, there are scant details on his personal life. Jobs as the perfectionist innovator is depicted well enough, but Steve Jobs the man remains a cypher that Stern is unable to decode. There are a few moments depicting Steve`s domestic relationship with his family, and a brief, rather opaque scene about his inability to acknowledge his yet-unborn daughter. As a result, the movie ends up feeling like an Apple origin story rather than an insightful biopic into the man`s emotions and motivations.
Likewise, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (Gad) although portrayed as integral to the company`s start-up is given little focus, while the rest of the cast come across as generic foils, sounding boards and punching bags for Steve, rather than real influences on his life decisions. It doesn`t help that Kutcher is never wholly convincing as Jobs: despite the striking physical likeness, one gets the impression of an actor playing at Steve Jobs, rather than one completely immersed in the role, or able to keep up the illusion of authenticity.
For a movie about innovation and creativity, jOBS is a pretty run-of-the-mill biopic that adds to the legend of Steve Jobs, but never really explores the life lived behind it.
Summary: Even Siri wouldn`t whole-heartedly recommend this product.
Rating: **1/2
Raphael Lim
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