Not that the movie was bad, and I understand it’s a classic and an important story. However, the book was better in this case. I know this is sacrilege as a movie critic.
The performances are spot on and the script really does a great job of hitting the essential marks in the story, but there’s only so much they could fit into the runtime, and there was simply too much to fit into a reasonable runtime. Definitely one of those “Hollywood can’t write something this crazy” stories, that Hollywood struggled to translate to the silver screen.
The only thing preventing this from being a higher score is the legendary Live Aid performance. That aside, this is the band on its ascent to infamy, at the height of their powers. “Firing on all cylinders” doesn’t do the performance justice. Similar to “The Eras Tour” and “Stop Making Sense” last year (sorry for missing “Renaissance”), this is best seen in IMAX – the biggest screen and the loudest cinema you can find. They will, they will, ROCK YOU!
I’m a sucker for Aaron Sorkin dialogue and a good walk and talk, so I’ve loved this film since the first time seeing it in the theater. Since then, I’ve occasionally passed by it in my library, meaning to one day re-watch it and see if it recaptured the magic. Spoiler alert – it does! Even more so after I finished the Steve Jobs biohgraphy recently, which prompted my re-watch recently. The attention to detail in the film was all the more breathtaking and spot-on than I had realized during that first watch years ago. What it does better than most, that “Oppenheimer” and “Killers of the Flower Moon” also later did, was nailed the tone of the story. A complicated, dynamic character that goes on to change the world. Weighing the impact they have on the world with the destruction they left in their wake. Uncovering the dark sides of once unknown or little known details that shine a new light on what had become a fairy tale image of history.
Michael Fassbender kills it as Jobs, with Kate Winslet as his character foil. The framing device of product launches was the perfect choice, as Apple became the center of Jobs’s being, with supporting cast came in and out of his life during different episodes in the saga. It wasn’t quite as reflective as the book, but the impact was nearly the same. It’s a busy 2+ hours, but well worth the runtime if you’re game for a breakneck pace of words per minute.
That being said, it’s still solid. Much more family drama than racing epic. The racing scenes that are part of the film are gorgeous and as intense as they come. I want to definitely warn those heading into this one that there is carnage galore when the rubber meets the road. The early days of road racing were downright deadly, and this film doesn’t shy away from it.
The cast is full of sneak attacks, and everyone fits exceptionally well, especially the main love triangle of Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz, and Shailene Woodley. The man liked fast cars and even more dangerous women. Respect.
A nice cap on my year at the movies! Look for the yearly recap tomorrow!
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 