Jobs (2013)

**Spoiler free review!**

Well, I’ll just get this out of the way first: Ashton Kutcher is surprisingly entertaining in the leading role. Kutcher gave an admirable effort in Jobs. He really dedicated himself to this role 100%, you can clearly see it (i.e. Kutcher mimicking Jobs movements, which include the abnormal walking style of a gangly man), and it’s a rare occurrence, but Kutcher’s performance isn’t the biggest problem here, not by a long shot.

Rest of the cast ranges from so-so to solid. Josh Gad is entertaining and adds most of the comic relief in his usual role of the awkward and nerdy outcast, and as you would expect, J.K. Simmons is a nice fit for the demanding and overbearing authority figure. Plus, Dermont  Mulroney and Matthew Modine are believable in their roles, as the clean cut and slimy businessmen, who won’t hesitate  to stab you in the back. James Woods has a role here, but it’s limited to cameo status.

The direction of Jobs constantly strays into two territories, creating too much confusion to the point where I asked myself two questions throughout the movie: is Jobs trying to be a biopic about Steve Jobs? Or is Jobs trying to be a docudrama about Apple? They tried to give the audience a heavy dose of explaining and recalling the events of Steve Jobs’ life and the rise of Apple as a company, but the material doesn’t mesh together  to form a cohesive and clear biopic. No, everything jumbles together so tight to the point where it feels like you’re watching two films in one.

Also, the tone for how Jobs wanted to portray Steve Jobs the man isn’t clear. You’ll clearly see Steve Jobs is willing to do anything and sacrifice anything to be the best and be the first to achieve innovation. Friendships, family, previous relationships. It doesn’t matter. If Steve Jobs feels like you’re holding him back for whatever reason, he will cut all ties with you without thinking twice about it. Sounds like a ruthless and cold-hearted person, huh? But no matter what, Jobs sticks to a sympathetic tone for Kutcher. Whether he’s obsessive, wrong, or flat out delusional, Steve Jobs has a good heart? So in the end, Jobs feels like a massive contradiction of itself.

Ashton Kutcher having the spitting image look to resemble Steve Jobs helps, and his performance isn’t a big problem here. Still, Jobs is a pretty lousy film. The production values aren’t anything to brag about, and I guarantee you Jobs could pass as a made-for-TV movie. Jobs is a bland, painfully boring, and uninspired biopic, that almost put me to sleep about three or four times, and the sappy moments reach a “too unbearable” point more than once.

Rating: 2/10