With Aaron Sorkin and Danny Boyle’s Steve Jobs biopic due for release later this month, many of those who knew Jobs personally have expressed concern about his portrayal in the movie. Meanwhile the critical reception has been pretty positive. So does that means it’s any good, or not?
Firstly, Apple CEO Tim Cook said a few weeks ago on The Late Show that he thought “a lot of people are trying to be opportunistic” with the multitude of Jobs-related books and biopics that have been made since his death in 2011. After a brief media spat, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin says that Cook was given a private screening. However, Cook has remained quiet since seeing actually seeing the movie – begrudging silent approval, perhaps, or is he just sick of talking about it?
Apple’s Design Chief Sir Jony Ive says he’s spoken to many of Jobs’ close family and friends who are “completely bemused and completely upset” by the new film. He’s worried that Jobs will be unfairly defined by “people with agendas” from the movie industry and rather sensationally expressed a “primal fear” about the possibility of an overly-negative portrayal. Ive did admit that he hasn’t actually seen the film, though.
Steve Jobs’ widow, Laurene Powell Jobs apparently tried to block the film from being made entirely. Like many from the Apple family, she was upset not explicitly by the film itself but by the Walter Isaacson biography that it’s been based on. She’s also not seen the finished biopic, but reportedly declined invites from the filmmakers to discuss any concerns over the script. Sorkin thinks that she’ll be pleasantly surprised if she decides to watch the movie, though.
On the other hand, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is impressed by the film – going as far as to say it was like “actually watching Steve Jobs.” He was an outspoken critic of the 2013 biopic Jobs but praises Boyle and Sorkin for “getting it so right” with this adaptation. That said, Wozniak was hired as an advisor on the film and reportedly received $200,000 for his services – so forgive us for taking his glowing review with a pinch of salt.
Despite the skepticism from notable Apple employees, the film currently has an impressive 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and has received pretty solid reviews following early screenings. Generally Sorkin’s script has been praised – remember, he was responsible for The Social Network – and many have touted Michael Fassbender’s portrayal of Jobs as potentially Oscar-worthy.
So, mixed opinions to say the least. Looks like we’ll have to check it out for ourselves when the film gets a public release. It’s out on October 23 in the U.S. and November 12 in the U.K.
There’s mixed feelings about the upcoming @SteveJobsFilm – what have Steve’s nearest and dearest said about it? http://t.co/xsV7QLJJAg
— TapSmart (@TapSmart) October 8, 2015