'Jobs' movie review roundup
Jobs hits theaters today, and the reviews are piling up faster than unsold Surface tablets (I'm sorry, that was mean). The early verdicts are not particularly flattering, and the flick currently has a 25 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes and more-favorable-but-still-low 43 out of 100 on Metacritic. For a more detailed summary of the movie's flaws and bright spots, take a glance at some review quotes below.
Mary Pols, Time.com: "He gives so many inspirational speeches about innovation in Jobs that I was tempted to pull out my laptop and check my email. In between, he's either haranguing some oaf about lack of productivity or firing someone. Do we get a sense of the man's greatness? A bit, but mostly we get a sense of the man's douchebaggery."
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: "But the main flaw of Jobs is that it limits itself to the ancient history of Jobs' rise and fall and rise at Apple. The movie might begin in 2001, but it never returns to the 21st century. Thus, all the dramatic events of Jobs' last dozen or so years aren't dealt with at all."
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: "Like the man it's about, Jobs is thin and unassuming, but keeps surprising you with ideas and innovation. An almost ironically styled old-fashioned biopic, this sharp look at the late Steve Jobs and the technological and cultural changes he brought about is entertaining and smart, with a great, career 2.0 performance from Ashton Kutcher."
Manohla Dargis, The New York Times: "Fuzzed up and hunched over, Mr. Kutcher looks somewhat like the young Jobs, and there are moments -- as when he gives another character a small, devious look as if sliding in a knife -- that the casting seems more than a matter of bottom-line calculation. But Mr. Kutcher doesn't have the tools that some actors use to transcend weak material and either he didn't receive any help or didn't allow any real direction from Mr. Stern."
Michael O'Sullivan, The Washington Post: "Although I think I could watch a whole movie called Woz and not grow tired, Jobs eventually begins to suffer from an ailment common to many biopics: milestone fatigue. The film is so thick with Jobs' career highlights and lowlights that there's little room for insights. What made this famously private man tick?"
