'JOBS' Biography Starring Ashton Kutcher Hits Theaters to Mixed Reviews

Joshua Michael Stern's Steve Jobs biography JOBS launched in theaters today, and despite a vigorous marketing campaign that saw actor Ashton Kutcher attending a number of promotional events and interviews, the movie appears to be garnering largely mixed reviews for both its content and the performance of its title actor.

 jobs_kutcher_front
On movie review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes, JOBS is ranked as "rotten" with a score of 25 out of 100. The Washington Post gave the movie 1.5 stars out of four, pointing out that the movie focuses heavily on Apple rather than on Steve Jobs himself.

Directed by Joshua Michael Stern ("Swing Vote") and written by first-time screenwriter Matt Whiteley, "Jobs" confuses the story of Apple, the company, with the story of its guru and guiding force, spending way too much time on backroom personnel dealings than on encounters that might help us understand, on a deep level, the title character.

The film is so thick with Jobs's career highlights and lowlights that there's little room for insights. What made this famously private man tick?

The New York Times offers a similar opinion of the movie, which it claims has "all the sex appeal of a PowerPoint presentation."

But Mr. Kutcher doesn't have the tools that some actors use to transcend weak material and either he didn't receive any help or didn't allow any real direction from Mr. Stern. Mr. Kutcher's tendency to cap so many emotional scenes with small, self-satisfied smiles is especially unfortunate because they can’t help but bring to mind his other career as a pitchman for digital cameras.

The greater blame rests on the filmmakers, who never find a way to navigate the "passions, perfectionism, demons, desires, artistry, devilry and obsession for control" that Walter Isaacson enumerated in "Steve Jobs," his 2011 authorized biography.

Several of Steve Jobs' former colleagues who were present during the events laid out in the movie also weighed in. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak gave a short review of the film on Gizmodo, where he commended the acting but noted that the film had left out important events and interactions.

I felt bad for many people I know well who were portrayed wrongly in their interactions with Jobs and the company. The movie ends pretty much where the great Jobs finally found product success (the iPod) and changed so many of our lives. I'm grateful to Steve for his excellence in the i-era, and his contribution to my own life of enjoying great products, but this movie portrays him having had those skills in earlier times.

Early employees Daniel Kottke (who was famously awarded no stock options) and Bill Fernandez gave their opinion on JOBS in an interview with Slashdot, pointing out the creative licenses that the film took when telling the story.


Kottke, who collaborated on the film, says that Kutcher was "very good," but that Wozniak was depicted inaccurately. "It portrays Woz as not having the same vision as Steve Jobs, which is really unfair," he says. While he was impressed with the way the movie captured some of the early scenes, such as the West Coast Computer Faire, he does point out that quite a bit of dramatic flare was added.

The early versions were painful. Really painful. I forwarded the first draft to Mike Markkula because they wanted his feedback, and Mike took such a bad reaction to it, he wouldn't have anything more to do with the project.

By the time it got to the fourth draft, it was okay. It wasn't making me cringe. But they still had a scene of me arguing with Steve, which never ever happened, but, you know, in the realm of artistic license. I mean, the dynamic of my relationship with Steve Jobs is he just completely stopped talking to me in about 1980. And that's not cinematic; arguments are much better on the screen.

JOBS is currently showing in theaters around the world, and according to Open Road Films CEO Tom Ortenberg, the movie will debut on Netflix in the spring of 2014. A second Steve Jobs movie, from screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, is also in the works for 2014.

Top Rated Comments

snowfoxfire Avatar
132 months ago
Nah

No thanks. I'm pretty sure cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2 looks better than this.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Skika Avatar
132 months ago
Will get it from the bay.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
uknowimright Avatar
132 months ago
should of just released it on Lifetime
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
uknowimright Avatar
132 months ago
the mix seems to be populated with more BAD reviews
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
belltree Avatar
132 months ago
My interest level in seeing this is 0. Pirates of Silicon Valley told the story just fine. We do not need a rehash for cash. Also the Woz casting, WTF were they thinking?
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HarryKeogh Avatar
132 months ago
I'd rather see a documentary about the man.

And by man, I mean Ashton Kutcher. Perhaps one of the greatest talents of our generation here in the Bizarro World.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

BMW Logo iPhone 15 Pro

Warning: BMW Wireless Charging May Break iPhone 15's Apple Pay Chip

Sunday October 1, 2023 6:14 am PDT by
If you have an iPhone 15 and drive a BMW, it might be best to avoid charging the device with the vehicle's wireless charging pad for now. Over the past week, some BMW owners have complained that their iPhone 15's NFC chip no longer works after charging the device with their vehicle's wireless charging pad, according to comments shared on the MacRumors Forums and X, formerly known as Twitter. ...
Apple Watch Edition Gold 2015

Original Apple Watch is Now Obsolete, Including $17,000 Gold Model

Monday October 2, 2023 9:15 am PDT by
All first-generation Apple Watch models released in 2015 were added to Apple's obsolete products list on September 30, according to an internal memo obtained by MacRumors. As a result, these outdated "Series 0" watches are no longer eligible for repairs or other service at Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Provider locations. The list of obsolete models includes the first-generation...
iOS 17

Everything New in iOS 17.1 Beta 2

Tuesday October 3, 2023 3:57 pm PDT by
Apple today released the second beta of an upcoming iOS 17.1 update, and the software further refines some of the new features that were added both in iOS 17 and the initial iOS 17.1 beta. This guide covers everything new in the second iOS 17.1 beta. StandBy Display Options Apple added a new "Display" section to the StandBy section of the Settings app, which houses some new customization ...
iOS 17

Apple Preparing iOS 17.0.3, Likely With Bug Fix for iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Issue

Tuesday October 3, 2023 11:42 am PDT by
Three days after Apple said that it would release a software update with a fix for a bug contributing to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max overheating, MacRumors can confirm that Apple is now internally testing iOS 17.0.3. It's unclear when iOS 17.0.3 will be released to the public, but the update will likely be available either later this week or next week. Apple did not provide...
Apple Logo Spotlight

Mac Trade-In Changes May Indicate New Model to Launch This Month

Tuesday October 3, 2023 6:30 am PDT by
Apple may be proceeding with plans to release a new Mac model this month, according to potentially related information obtained by MacRumors. Details pertaining to imminent changes to Mac trade-ins provided to MacRumors by a verified source suggest that Apple will likely begin accepting new models for trade-in this month. Similar changes in June coincided with WWDC, when Apple began accepting...
iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.3 With Fix for iPhone 15 Pro Overheating

Wednesday October 4, 2023 10:03 am PDT by
Apple today released an iOS 17.0.3 update for the iPhone, with the software coming a week after the launch of iOS 17.0.2. Apple has also released a new version of iPadOS, 17.0.3, for iPad users. The iOS 17.0.3 and iPadOS 17.0.3 updates can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. iOS 17.0.3, which is build 21A360, addresses ...
iPhone 15 Pro lineup

Apple to Address iPhone 15 Pro Overheating Issue With iOS 17 Update

Saturday September 30, 2023 9:28 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an iOS 17 update to address a bug that may contribute to the reported iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max overheating issue, according to a statement the company shared today with MacRumors and Forbes reporter David Phelan. Apple also says some recent updates to third-party apps have overloaded the system and contributed to the overheating issue. The report notes that...
emergency test alert fema wea

U.S. iPhone Users to Receive Emergency Test Alert Today

Tuesday October 3, 2023 1:27 pm PDT by
The United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) are conducting a test of the U.S. emergency alert systems on Wednesday, October 4. Emergency text messages will be set out to cell phones across the United States. The Wireless Emergency Alert test will begin at 2:20 p.m. Eastern Time/11:20 a.m. Pacific Time today, and iPhone owners...
Multi Display CarPlay 1

All-New Apple CarPlay Launching Later This Year With These 5 New Features

Friday September 29, 2023 11:29 am PDT by
At WWDC 2022 last year, Apple previewed the next generation of CarPlay, promising deeper integration with vehicle functions like A/C and FM radio, support for multiple displays across the dashboard, personalization options, and more. Apple said the first vehicles with support for the next-generation CarPlay experience would be announced in late 2023, but it has still not shared any additional...