Movie · 2015 · Drama, History · 2h 2m · R · English
Curator score: 6.6/10 (427.8K ratings)
Can a great man be a good man?
Overview
Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.6/10
IMDb: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.63/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Metacritic: 82
TMDB: 6.8/10
Director
Danny Boyle
Production
Scott Rudin Productions, The Mark Gordon Company, Cloud Eight Films, Decibel Films, Entertainment 360, Universal Pictures
Cast
Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg, Katherine Waterston, Perla Haney-Jardine, Ripley Sobo, Makenzie Moss, Sarah Snook, John Ortiz, Adam Shapiro, John Steen, Stan Roth, Mihran Slougian, Robert Anthony Peters, Noreen Lee, Gail Fenton, Karen Kahn, Rachel Caproni
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharply written, highly theatrical backstage biopic that turns product launches into verbal combat. It’s less about the history of Apple than about ego, control, and the cost of genius, powered by strong performances and a propulsive structure.
Best for
Viewers who like dialogue-driven dramas
Fans of backstage or single-location tension
People interested in flawed genius portraits
Audiences who enjoy fast, witty screenwriting
Viewers who don’t mind a stylized, stage-like biopic
Skip if
You want a broad, conventional cradle-to-grave biography
You dislike dense dialogue and constant confrontation
You prefer visually expansive historical dramas
You need a warm or emotionally easy portrait of its subject
Overview
Steve Jobs is built like a pressure cooker. Instead of tracing a life in the usual biopic sweep, it traps its subject in three moments of public triumph and private chaos, letting the arguments do the character work. The result is brisk, funny, and often vicious, with Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue firing on all cylinders.
Worth noting
Danny Boyle keeps the film moving even when it feels like a chamber piece, and the cast makes the verbal sparring feel alive rather than mechanical. Michael Fassbender plays Jobs as both magnetic and impossible, while Kate Winslet gives the movie its emotional spine. Seth Rogen is especially effective as the conscience the film keeps trying to ignore.
Bottom line
What makes it stick is that it’s not really about technology, but about the human cost of being brilliant and unbearable at the same time. It can feel more like a great play than a standard movie, but that’s part of the appeal. If you enjoy precision writing, moral friction, and performance-driven drama, it lands hard.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Eli Hayes (4.5★) · 3595 likes
The main reason I don't want to write a review of this film is because I don't want my writing to be even remotely associated with Sorkin's. Seriously Aaron, you're making us all look bad.
My train of thought throughout this movie:
"wow, that was a great line""wow, that was a great line""wow, that was a great line""wow, that was a great line""wow, that was a great line""wow, that was a great line""wow, that… more
Patrick Willems (3.5★) · 2193 likes
Should this be a play? I feel like this should be a play.
#1 gizmo fan (5★) · 1668 likes
"You can be decent and gifted at the same time."
I love Leonardo Dicaprio with all my heart, but why the fuck did he win the oscar when this performance exists?
Sean Fennessey (4.5★) · 1203 likes
A magnetizing film that draws you in with invisible energy.
Is it a play? Sure. So is WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, AMADEUS, and GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS. I love plays. I love movies that are plays!
Jay (3.5★) · 1175 likes
hope the launch event went well for him!
tags:[watched on macbook] [reviewed on iphone 8]
2017 · Drama, Crime · 2h 21m · R · Curator 5.6/10 (462.3K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Fast, polished, Sorkin-style verbal sparring with a protagonist navigating power, ego, and control.