I may sound like a condescending idiot when I say that Steve Jobs is the best film of the year two days after I proclaim “Crimson Peak is the best thing I’ve seen all year.” I’m certainly not lying for any one of those, and to be honest it doesn’t matter for two reasons: 1. At that time I truly believed that Crimson Peak was the best thing I had seen all year, and 2. Contrary to what I recommended, it seems none of you actually saw Crimson Peak. Then again I seem more like a condescending idiot by actually spending the first paragraph of this review talking about this. But I have as first of all, a nice way of scolding the abysmally low box office returns of Crimson Peak, and also to segway nicely into the fact that Steve Jobs is probably going to be the best thing that I see all year — probably. I may have to a condescending idiot later, but I’m fine with that. Right now though, I’m going to talk about Steve Jobs, a film composed entirely of conversations that are more thrilling than Rogue Nation managed to be (and Rogue Nation was awesome), and heartfelt in a way I didn’t think possible. It’s a film that when you look back at its individual scenes, and try to explain them, you wouldn’t really know if they worked. Yet, in this movie they do. They work astoundingly, and that’s awesome. And at the center of it all are 2 people: Aaron Sorkin, and Michael Fassbender (not that Danny Boyle isn’t an important part of the equation). Sorkin is unquestionably the greatest writer working now (see The Social Network, and The Newsroom), and with his script, based partially on Walter Isaacson's biography, he has absolutely knocked it out of the park. As I said, this is a film composed entirely of dialogue, but it’s more thrilling than most action films. That’s actually true, because Sorkin has always been a master of fast paced, snappy dialogue, and the heat that can gather between two incredible character actors is palpable, especially with Sorkin at the helm. His screenplay is smart because he knows that Steve Jobs was a genius, and he knows we know that too. He doesn’t spend time pondering what made him that; that’s all extraneous. He simply lets us be thrilled by it. Sorkin lets every insult, and every quirk of Job’s character shine through. It certainly helps that Fassbender is so good at playing Jobs that you don’t actually notice it all too quickly. It’s a layered performance that works perfectly. Fassbender is so good, and electrifying I can’t explain his effect. He’s sympathetic, and charismatic, but a complete asshole; a person who, much like Sorkin’s script, knows he’s a genius, and just wants to thrill us with just that. Fassbender seems to be in the mind of this man who couldn’t care less about what people think of him, and knows that he is always right. That the other cast is able to stand up to him is great (but then again when you read Aaron Sorkin you’re gonna sound good anyway). Kate Winslet is a high mark, and while her accent isn’t perfect, everything else is. She’s a nice, more level headed contrast to Jobs, and it’s wonderful to see her in yet another great performance. Seth Rogen is much of the same. It’s great to see him do dramatic work, and do it well. His Wozniak gets some of the best scenes. And then there’s Lisa. She is played through the years by 3 actresses. All of them do great work. See, Lisa is the heartwarming part of this movie. She’s what binds it together. There are moments that I wanted to cry when she was on screen, and that can be attributed to both how good those three actresses are, and how Fassbender slowly hints at his affection for her. It’s poignant stuff that shouldn’t work, but it does by virtue of the cast. Now I’ve heard critics complain of the last act of this film slowing down, but let me ask this. The film through its dialogue is so incredibly paced, so incredibly acted that this film has the momentum to knockout the audience. A slower less dense third act allows the film to slow and end. Perfectly just like one of Jobs’s products. I give Steve Jobs a 10 out of 10.
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |