jOBS

Going to the movies has really become a bastion of themes whereas it's like going to a history class anymore. The plethora of films about famous or infamous figures in history has run the gambit certainly in the last ten or so years. I've learned more about these people than I have ever learned from the news or even the History Channel. Films about King George, FDR, Marilyn Monroe, Jackie Robinson, The Sapphires singing group, Daniel Lugo and Adrian Doorbal of the Pain & Gain film, General Bonner Fellows, the family that survived the 2004 tsunami in The Impossible, and now it's about Steve Jobs, the innovator in a film appropriately titled "jOBS".

This details the major moments and defining characters that influenced Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher) on a daily basis from his dropping out of college in 1971 through his innovative musical creation called the I-Pod in 2001. This shows how he became one of the most revered creative entrepreneuers of the 20th century by plunging into the depths of his character, creating an intense dialogue-driven story that is as much a sweeping epic as it is an immensely personal portrait of Steve Jobs' life.  This chronicles Jobs, the Apple co-founder's career from his early years in his parents garage creating something that will change the world with his collaborators including Steve Wozniak (Josh Gad), Daniel (Lukas Haas), Rod (Ron Eldard), Bill Fernandez (Victor Rasuk), Chris (Eddie Hassell) and subsequently Mike (Dermot Mulroney) to his rise as one of the computing industry's most admired innovators. By focusing on the key moments that drove Jobs' success and the conversations that made him such a controversial figure among critics, this presents an intimate portrayal of a driven, passionate, complex man who dedicated his life to revolutionizing the way we use computers. Part of the complexities was the fact that Jobs, being a visionary, lived in a world that clearly was not, and it brought a ton of frustration and even anger which turned out to be his enemy throughout most of his life.

Others to round out the cast are Matthew Modine as John Sculley, J.K. Simmons as Arthur Rock, Lesley Ann Warren as Clara Jobs, Steve's mom, Ahna O'Reilly as Chris-Ann Brennan, Steve's girlfriend, John Getz as Paul Jobs, Steve's dad, Kevin Dunn as Gil Amelio, James Woods as Jack Dudman, Nelson Franklin as Bill Atkinson, Elden Henson as Andy Hertzfeld, and Brad Willian Henke as Paul Terrell.

This was brilliantly directed by Joshua Michael Stern ("Neverwas" '05, "Swing Vote" '08). The intense emotion i.e,- anger, giddiness, fear he was able to emit from Kutcher was simply amazing. This was written by newcomer Matt Whiteley who has no other work to his credit. This is so difficult to believe, because this was so well scripted, it could possibly earn a nomination come Oscar time. If this is his first outing as a writer, I can't wait to see his future work which he will undoubtedly receive. The one who finishes bringing this all together is cinematographer, Russell Carpenter,asc ("Lady in White" '88, "The Perfect Weapon" '91, "The Lawnmower Man" '92, "True Lies" '94, "Money Talks" '97, "Titanic" '97, "The Negotiator" '98, "Shallow Hal" '01, "Monster-in-Law" '05, "Awake" '07, "21" '08, "The Ugly Truth" '09, "A Little Bit of Heaven" '11, "This Means War" '12) and many others. This guy can photograph anything, hence the resume, and he does it with such crispness and his own storytelling he uses with his camera.

Whether one is into computers or not, this is not only a film all should see, but one where it will captivate the audience's attention as you see this man create and innovate something that clearly changed the way we live and think today whether we realize this or not.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                         Rated: PG-13                       128mins.