Steve Jobs - 3 smiles

I read in the LA Times that, according to screen writer Aaron Sorkin, "Steve Jobs" is not a bio-pic even though it's called Steve Jobs. It seems that he and director Danny Boyle want to illustrate that a great mind doesn't always result in a great person so the movie is more an impressionistic work than an actual re-enactment. The movie focuses on three Apple releases and at the center of everything is Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender), the iconic co-creator of Apple, garbed in his uniform of black mock turtleneck, blue jeans and New Balance sneakers. Jobs is undeniably brilliant with an arrogance to match. He believes in his own infallibility. The first section takes us to 1984 where Jobs is unveiling the Macintosh.  Jobs is browbeating Andy Herzfeld (Michael Stuhlberg) to get the demo computer talking and driving his assistant Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) nuts with his complaints and demands. His ex-lover Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston) has brought Jobs' daughter Lisa backstage. She wants Jobs to know that his offspring is now living on welfare because his child support payments are insufficient. Jobs refuses to acknowledge paternity, but does form a fragile bond with Lisa. It's his relationship with his daughter that comprises the movie's emotional core. Act two occurs before another launch: 1988's NeXT Cube. No longer with Apple, Jobs is plotting revenge against those who ousted him, especially Apple CEO John Scully (Jeff Daniels). By 1998, Jobs is back at Apple and he has mellowed - a bit. Now we have the launch of the iMac. For Apple, this is a turning point - the beginning of the company's ascendancy. Before the presentation, he clashes with several people. One is his old buddy, Steve Wozniak (a surprisingly effective Seth Rogan), who wants Jobs to acknowledge the efforts of the Apple 2 team, something he refuses to do.

Because the focus is on Jobs' personality rather than events of his life, "Steve Jobs" is more interesting than a documentary. The dialogue is full of wit, anger and passion and Michael Fassbender is a magnetic, compelling presence. We never once doubt that he is Steve Jobs. However, it's highly likely that the movie will leave some viewers ambivalent as they struggle with the question of how much arrogance, boorishness and incivility can be forgiven in the name of genius. (If you're looking for a factual accounting, see Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine.)