• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Film
  • DVD
  • Editorial
  • About ScreenFish

ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • News
  • OtherFish
  • Podcast
  • Give
You are here: Home / Current Events / Steve Jobs: The Measure of a Man (Oscar Spotlight: Best Actor)

Steve Jobs: The Measure of a Man (Oscar Spotlight: Best Actor)

February 16, 2016 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

stevejobs2

I begrudgingly watched another Steve Jobs film. Seriously, was there more information to be covered, some new angle to be unveiled? As a matter of fact, there was. Thanks to Danny Boyle’s (Sunshine, 127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire) direction and Michael Fassbender’s nuanced performance, Steve Jobs is a worthy Academy Award nominee with Fassbender’s portrayal of Jobs at its center.

While the special features look into the making of this particular film with commentary, fans of Jobs probably already unpacked Walter Isaacson’s biography of the man. But this is an Aaron Sorkin script, so you can be prepared for witty, moral, and emotional, right? The writer who pulled off West Wing and half a dozen political explorations cinematically knows how to balance the internal and external, the emotional and the conversational.

No Merchandising. Editorial Use Only. No Book Cover Usage Mandatory Credit: Photo by Francois Duhamel/REX Shutterstock (5225575b) 'Steve Jobs' film - Kate Winslet, Michael Fassbender 'Steve Jobs' film - 2015
Set up in three acts, the film revolves around discussions Jobs has with his marketing executive Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet), co-founder and creator Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen), one-time Apple CEO John Sculley (Jeff Daniels, lately from Sorkin’s The Newsroom), and his daughter, Lisa (played by three different actresses), before the launches of products in 1984, 1988, and 1998. Each vignette shows the conflict between Jobs and each of the people, his desire to be great but to protect himself emotionally. 

While much of the film is about Apple and its projects, the dynamic between Jobs, his ex-girlfriend, Chrisann Brennan (Katherine Waterston), and their daughter humanizes the man who pursued excellence in technology and business. He softens to others when he opens his heart to Lisa; his flaws as a human being are on display even while whole populations adore his every futuristic announcement about the way some new gadget works. But, wow, those flaws are worn like badges of honor!

Jobs’ antagonistic friendship with Wozniak, Sculley, and even Hoffman, make for some tense conversations. Additionally, Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg), draws some fire for his technology and his affection for Lisa and Chrisann. But the way that Jobs is portrayed shows us the friction even in friendship that drove him to excellence and creativity. Wozniak is the one who pushes Jobs to be a human being and excellent; Jobs thinks he must choose one over the other.

To avoid any confusion here, Sorkin’s script is clever and fast-moving in ways that other features about Jobs have not been. There’s a refrain that is hilarious about the two “Andys,” Hertzfeld and launch manager Andrea “Andy” Cunningham (Sarah Snook), which also shows us how manipulating Jobs could be: he thinks one of them should change their name to be less confusing. There’s genius in the way that we are provided so much background and depth in the conversations that are on such a limited stage: we never see Jobs leave the building but it’s incredibly engaging!stevejobs2

The fact is that Jobs thought he was a conductor. He wasn’t the best at code or technology, but he could see the big picture. He couldn’t manage day-to-day moments but he could see the arc. He knew how to put it together in a way that literally changed the world. He was visionary, even while he couldn’t be a compassionate human being.

That brings us back to the fundamental question: can one be driven and good? Can someone pursue excellence and still be relational? So often, those we praise for their dominance are so broken, as Jobs was. At the end of the day, do we believe we can strive higher without burning bridges as we go?

When we consider Jobs’ life and brokenness, it leaves much to be desired. When it comes to Fassbender’s performance, the end result should be Best.

Share it!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Current Events, DVD, Featured, Film, Oscar Spotlight, Reviews Tagged With: Apple, Macintosh, Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

About Jacob Sahms

Jacob serves as a United Methodist pastor in Virginia, where he spends his downtime in a theater or playing sports

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

THE SF NEWS

Get a special look, just for you.

sf podcast

Hot Off the Press

  • 7.17 Culture and Carnage in GODZILLA VS. KONG
  • Held: Stuck in a Marriage You Can’t Get Out Of
  • My True Fairytale – With Superpowers?
  • The Last Right – Acts of Grace
  • O Canada! Telefilm Canada launches new site devoted to Canadian film
Find tickets and showtimes on Fandango.

where faith and film are intertwined

film and television carry stories which remind us of the stories God has woven since the beginning of time. come with us on a journey to see where faith and film are intertwined.

Footer

ScreenFish Articles

7.17 Culture and Carnage in GODZILLA VS. KONG

Held: Stuck in a Marriage You Can’t Get Out Of

  • About ScreenFish
  • Privacy Policy

© 2021 · ScreenFish.net · Built by Aaron Lee

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.