Jobs (2013) - Review

I shouldn’t have to say too much about The Social Network.  That’s a 5 out of 5 film, no questions asked, and in my opinion, very easily David Fincher’s best film.  It takes a concept that’s not particularly interesting to me on a surface level, but injects fantastic performances, a dark and brooding atmosphere, and music that proves Trent Reznor is actually awesome.  Then along comes a movie like Jobs.

Jobs is the story of Steve Jobs, although it may as well have been about Mark Zuckerberg.  Both are douchebag geniuses that built an empire, and it’s obvious that this movie wants you to get deep into Jobs’ head, like The Social Network did for the Facebook creator.  But the sum of its parts are not as strong as The Social Network’s, and we’re left with a hollow movie that’s simply riding the coattails of one that’s infinitely more creative and engaging.

"Ahh, sorry Gad, reviews are not looking great!"

Despite a strong performance from Ashton Kutcher, this movie just doesn’t have the intrigue that The Social Network has, and I mostly blame director Joshua Michael Stern.  In the hands of a more inventive director like Fincher (who, before anyone starts, has made his share of bad movies as well), this could be an innovative new classic, but Stern adds little life or even conflict to this dry and empty biopic.

Personally, if you’re interested in the Jobs story, wait for the (as of now unreleased) biopic Steve Jobs, helmed by Danny Boyle and starring Michael Fassbender as the titular Jobs.  This one has Aaron Sorkin as the writer, who also wrote The Social Network, so this one is looking much more promising than this tepid fizzler.