Parents' Guide to Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs marries the genius of its director and writer, but it's not impervious to their faults. Boyle gives the movie his signature kinetic energy, imbuing what could have been slow, talky moments with a sense of urgency, which is heightened by Sorkin's unmistakable whip-smart, whip-fast patter. But these are precisely the film's shortcomings, too; the pace is so frenetic that it almost forgets to let viewers take a breath. And while Jobs' relationship with his daughter, Lisa -- whom he once denied -- anchors the film, by the end it feels somewhat heavy-handed. In the meantime, we're left to try to figure out the genius of Apple products and why consumers took to them. The film might have been better served if it had spent a little less time with the former and more time with the latter. (Some argue that it also would have been better served if it had been truer to events as they actually happened; the film has drawn controversy over Sorkin's supposedly fairly creative interpretation of some aspects of Jobs and his actions.)

All of that said, be prepared to be impressed by Michael Fassbender; he may not look much like Jobs or display his specific mannerisms, but he certainly seems to have bottled the man's intensity and relentless commitment to his vision. Fassbender and the rest of the cast -- including Kate Winslet as Jobs' trusted confidante/colleague, Joanna Hoffman -- operate like a tightly oiled machine. It's not perfect, but Steve Jobs, much like the man himself and his products, is fascinating.