Steve Jobs (15A) ****
It's easy to see why people came and went from this ambitious, unflattering portrait of one of the world's best-known tech figures. David Fincher was once attached to direct, while both Christian Bale and Leo Di Caprio were mooted to star.
It's no crowd pleaser, but it sure is entertaining. Based on Walter Isaacson’s biography, the movie opens with the young Jobs preparing for the launch of Apple Macintosh in 1984.
We already see there is much conflict in his life, from his rapport with long-suffering marketing executive Joanna Hoffman (Kate Winslet) to his fury that all is not going to plan.
Amid technical glitches, he threatens to humiliate engineer Andy Hertzfeld (Michael Stuhlbarg) if he does not get the computer’s voice demo to say “hello”.
He is also in battle with his ex-girlfriend, who has taken him to court for maintenance of his daughter Lisa - who he initially denies parentage of.
The second act sees the Apple-ousted Jobs launch NeXT, putting him back on the radar of both Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak (Seth Rogen) and its CEO John Scully (Jeff Daniels).
The movie culminates in his launch of the iMac in 1998 - a development that was to completely turn around the struggling Apple’s fortunes and make Jobs one of the most powerful industry figures on the planet. A gutsy portrait of a deeply divisive man.
Fathers and Daughters (15A) **
Set over two generations of the same family, a reigned-in Russell Crowe plays Jake, a Pulitzer prize-winner author struggling with his mental health and life obligations following the death of his wife.
A necessary stint in a mental health clinic sees his daughter, Katie, placed in the care of his late wife’s sister (Diane Kruger) - who, it emerges, wants to adopt her, leading to huge conflict within the family. <
Fast forward two decades and Katie (Amanda Seyfried) is a promiscuous young woman who can't commit to a relationship. She is forced to make some hard choices when she meets a nice guy (Aaron Paul) who is smitten, but nevertheless refuses to be taken for a fool.
As this outline indicates, the story at times feels like it was written by a first-year psychology student, such is the focus on daddy, sexuality and abandonment issues.
It’s a shame, because there are some great performances (Seyfried is a standout) trying to make the most of these cardboard cut-out characters.
There’s no doubting the movie’s sincerity and some of the stories and moments are powerful and affecting. But everything is so signposted and obvious, and repeatedly hammered home, that it’s a hard film to stay with. Despite some moments of truth and promise, it's just too mawkish to really resonate.
