Assessing the Universal Studios film that explores the life of Apple’s founder

Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center hosted a free screening of the new Universal Studios motion picture, Steve Jobs, on October 16. Directed by Aaron Sorkin, the film tells the story of the man behind the modern phenomenon of Apple Inc. A departure from the 2013 movie Jobs, which starred Ashton Kutcher in the title role, this depiction draws direct inspiration from Walter Isaacson’s biography of Jobs.

Jobs is portrayed by actor Michael Fassbender as a condescending, brilliant, egotistical enigma. The film highlights Jobs’ journey to become Apple’s main innovator and CEO, as well as his attempts to navigate key personal relationships. The film open with Jobs preparing to present his new “talking Mac” before a crowd of hundreds. Minutes before the grand reveal, Andy Hertzfeld, an Apple computer scientist, informs Jobs that the computer will not be able to speak due to technical difficulties. An angry Jobs threatens to publicly humiliate Hertzfeld by firing him in front of the crowd if he cannot fix the problem within a few short minutes.

Seconds later, Jobs is visited by his ex-girlfriend, Chrisann, and his daughter, Lisa. Chrisann begs Jobs for money so that she can continue to support herself and their daughter. Jobs coldly refuses. It is only when he sees little Lisa playing with his Macintosh that he decides to support both Chrisann and their daughter.

Throughout this chaotic beginning, Jobs interacts with Apple’s marketing head, Joanna Hoffman, played by Kate Winslet. The first 10 minutes of the film brilliantly juxtapose Jobs’ capacity for ruthlessness with the reality of his utter genius, a pairing that leaves one struggling to decide whether to hate or admire him.

Interestingly, the film focuses on Jobs’ psychological responses and growth throughout each stage of his progress and success, rather than on how he actually ran Apple Inc. In this sense, the film can be split into three main sections: the unveiling of the Macintosh in 1984, the NeXT Cube unveiling in 1988, and the introduction of the iMac in 1998. Before each unveiling, the audience is made privy to the scene behind the curtain.

These short, interim moments profoundly reveal the most about Jobs’ personality and deepen the audience’s understanding of why he is the way he is. In this sense, they are meant to go far beyond the drama of the product unveilings themselves, a dynamic that is reinforced by the fact that the actual unveilings are barely depicted in the film. What the audience does see are scenes of Jobs’ interactions with key players in his life: John Schully, Apple’s former CEO; Steve Wozniak, an original Apple engineer, played by Seth Rogan; and Jobs’ daughter, Lisa.

Essentially, the film shares an interpretation of Jobs as an extraordinary innovator and entrepreneur but a terrible father and friend. The film does an excellent job of portraying the stark difference between what friends and co-workers thought of him and what his fans perceived him to be.

The final scene of the film epitomizes the complex dynamism of Jobs’ persona. Before the unveiling of the iMac in 1998, Jobs makes amends with his college-bound daughter. Instead of reveling in his success and the applause from the gathered crowd, he turns to Lisa and, taking her hand, shares this moment of glory with her. This final scene suggests that ultimately, the effects of positive human interaction surpass all temporal triumph, no matter how great.

Despite the seemingly realistic depiction of Jobs, the film states that some scenarios and situations were fabricated. Although the movie may have been partially fabricated, it serves as an interesting human case study in its effective depiction of the subtle development of psychological attachment to technology, success, and power.

Universal Studios campus representative intern, Eric Ways, a sophomore at Notre Dame, told the Rover, “Steve Jobs was phenomenal. I really loved how they developed Steve and his daughter’s relationship. I also found it fascinating how the film tied the conflict between Jobs’ growth as a revolutionary thinker with his growth as a father.”

“I found it to be a fascinating glimpse inside the mind of someone who has already had so much influence on our lives and continues to do so, despite being deceased,” said junior Ann Gallagher to the Rover. “He is probably not someone I would have much respect for in his personal life but someone I respect a lot for his accomplishments.”

Crystal Avila is a junior studying Film, Television, and Latin American Studies. The first Apple product she owned was a 2009 iPod Nano that held close to 1000 of her songs. Contact her at cavila3@nd.edu.