By Keeva Stratton
Today, Apple is regarded and admired as one of the great technology, business and brand success stories. But it wasn’t always so.
When the company was formed in the late 1970s on the back of the charisma of Steven Jobs and the technical wizardry of Steve Wozniak, it faced a raft of challenges to gain a foothold in a largely monopolised technology space.
It seems hard to believe that this icon of style and innovation was once the daggy cousin of the then svelte IBM. The story behind its transformation is intriguing—and the story of the man behind the brand, perhaps even more so.
Steven Jobs, Apple’s co-founder, has been credited with having brought to life one of the most successful companies of our era. He has, in many ways, become deified as the visionary leader of a techno cult, in the vanguard of a digerati revolution.
But his genius, his ego and his temper didn’t necessarily make that path to success a smooth one—or, at least, this is the version of the story that Jobs tells, with Ashton Kutcher superbly at the helm in the title role.
While history will ultimately look fondly upon Jobs, it’s clear that his success was not easy, or immediate. Neither for him, nor for those who chose to join him on his path. Portrayed as a free spirit with a hunger for success, as the young Jobs leaves college his ambition—and in particular his frustration with those who don’t share it—becomes his obsession.
He is ruthless with his associates and extravagant with the company spending, which ultimately sets his downward path. This collapse marks the beginning of a rebirth of Jobs the man—and, eventually, of Apple.
As a biopic, it’s an interesting piece, and its timing so soon after Jobs’ death is equally so. The dust has barely settled on his legacy and his early death to cancer feels recent still, yet there is no denying his place as one of the great innovators of our time. Kutcher’s portrayal would have been made more difficult by the collective living memory of Jobs—yet he succeeds in capturing both Jobs’ stature and swagger with frightening ease.
Don’t make the mistake of assuming this film is designed (like Apple products) primarily for the young and sleek. It offers a well-developed insight into the man, the maniacal obsession that underpinned his success, and the meteoric rise from colleague dropout to technology conqueror.
Steven Jobs may be remembered as a hero, but in Jobs he is a heavily flawed one. These flaws make his story interesting and human, and the film invites its audience to pursue their own dreams, grounded in the reality that true innovators are far from perfect.
Directed by: Joshua Michael Stern
Starring: Ashton Kutcher, James Woods, Josh Gad, Matthew Modine, Dermot Mulroney, Amanda Crew, Lucas Haas, J.K. Simmons and Lesley-Ann Warren
Rating: M
Runtime: 127 mins
Release Date: 29 August
Reviewer rating: 3.5/5
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