iSTEVE
US, 2013, 79 minutes, Colour.
Justin Long, Jorge Garcia.
Directed by Ryan Perez.
It has emerged that Steve Jobs was one of the significant creative and entrepreneurial minds of the 20th century. He has been played on screen by Ashton Kutcher as well as Michael Fassbender. Top documentary maker, Alex Gibney, also made a documentary portrait of him.
The public has always been interested in him, his achievements, innovations, setting up of Apple, his being ousted, his comeback, the developments of iPods and iPads.
It is hard to know how seriously this film should be taken and how comically. At the end, there are notes that everything in the film is fictitious!
Justin Long does quite a good job as portraying Steve Jobs, youthful and gaunt initially, grey-haired and bearded towards the end. There is an episode where attention is given to the thriller, Jeepers Creepers, which starred Long, who is then seen participating in commercials for Apple and being criticised as not being effective.
The film covers many of the episodes of Jobs’ life and career: his childhood and relationship with his father, studies and dropping out, going to India and the encounter with the Guru as well as with LSD, his working in his garage, the relationship with Steve Wozniak, their achievements, his taking the limelight, the ousting of Wozniak, his reliance on John Scully and his being ousted by him, his comeback, his final innovations.
Jorge Garcia is effective as Steve Wozniak who has been portrayed in other films by Josh Gad and Seth Rogan.
Jobs’ personal life, his relationships and his daughter are not part of this film at all.
With all the other Jobs’ films, this is much more interesting than might have been anticipated. it has a Saturday Night Live background.
1. The title? The allusion to Steve Jobs’ inventions, iPod, iPhone…?
2. Audience interest in Jobs? The feature films made about him, documentaries?
3. The tone, biographical, glimpses of Jobs’ life, facts and interpretation, pro-Jobs, critique of Jobs?
4. The structure: the older Jobs and his reflection, preparing his keynote speech, the discussions with the janitor, turning to camera, giving his life story? The casting of Justin Long (and the later interest by Jobs in the film, Jeepers Creepers, and just long been hired for commercials – not without criticism)? Going back to his childhood, his relationship with his father, his studies, dropping out, going to India, the discussions with the Guru, the LSD tabs? At work in the garage, creating the new board for the computer? Steve Wozniak, meeting him, working with him, their successes? Interviews and Woz being edged out? His large staff? The photographer and her wanting Jobs alone? The encounter with John Scully, the background of Commodore? Giving him 51% of the business? Going to the Board meeting, his disbelief in being ousted? Poor, selling his furniture, the visits and interviews? Connection with the singer? The relationship with Bill Gates, then the clash and rivalry, his fascination with Melinda Gates, her month away from Bill, the meal and the virtual reality sex? Woz and his return after working for deliveries? Starting again, his return to success, the iPod, the advertising? His age? Death?
5. As a portrait of Jobs, serious and comic, from the 70s into the 21st century, the portrait of Jobs in himself, the focus, his success, entrepreneur, judgements about him? His treatment of Woz? Of Scully?
6. Woz, his look, weight, clothes, hair, his interest in working with Jobs, friendship and loyalty, the way that he was treated, his attempted recognition, being ousted, coming again? Audience sympathy for him?
7. The influence of India, finding himself, the Guru, enlightenment, the drugs, the later use of the LSD for finding his future? On the scene with the Guru with the iPad?
8. Scully, the leader of Commodore, the rivalry, the allusion to Pepsi, Scully and his 51%, ousting Jobs? Himself ousted?
9. Episodes with Bill Gates, friendship, break, rivalry? Melinda, Job's attraction? The virtual reality sex?
10. An overview of the history of computers, boards, size, PCs, techniques, to iPods and iPads?
11. The final credits and the claims that everything was fictitious?
