Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine (2015) Reviews

• A more balanced and fair argument than it's given credit for.

  Sergeant_Tibbs2015-09-15

  Despite his over productivity and well-known biases, Alex Gibney is always an essential documentarian to watch, especially since his Oscar winning film. He's already made the best documentary of the year thus far with his attack on Scientology, Going Clear, anything else is icing on the cake. While that film is a revealing call to arms, his Steve Jobs film The Man In The Machine tries those same tricks but it's coming a little too late, especially as the film frames itself over the outpouring of grief over his death. Not that the film is a poor effort. As Going Clear illustrated what we already knew, so does this film. It's not a 2-hour attack as reported - along with the justifications to question society's hero worship towards him are all the reasons he's beloved and considered a visionary that changed the world. Those later Apple announcements with the awed cheers for Jobs earn a similar spine-tingle as the Scientology congregations in Going Clear. It's more endearing here. The negative reaction to this documentary's criticisms almost highlight that hero worship he still harnesses, but it's difficult to argue over the hard facts of his bullying, both minor and major as documented here. Ultimately, Gibney poses the film as a reflection on our emotional connection to our technology and how that extends to its creator, but while it's an interesting conversation it results only in vague existentialism asking similar questions that he started with. Yes, we've grown dependant on our tech and Jobs' death sparked fear that innovation will slow, that's more or less where the grief comes from and nothing to do with Jobs' life or business tactics. His image as an icon is Goliath and this film is a little David and it offers a small but fair chiseling of that towering statue. It's not Gibney's best work and it spends this year in the shadow of two significant films, but it's still solidly produced and worth a watch for an insight into Jobs' life, especially with Danny Boyle's biopic on the horizon. 7/10

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• All these reviews/reviewers are mental.

  pullmyfinger852015-09-06

  Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine is being accused of not being a very uplifting view of Steve Jobs himself. The interviews and actually footage of Steve Jobs speaks for itself. It's not mean spirited; it's actual events, conversations and scandals that took place. Make no mistake, Steve Jobs was a brilliant man. This well-made documentary is self aware of his genius mind and how he controlled and oversaw every aspect from concept to completion of Apple corp, products and NeXT. It explored how he was David and took down Goliath (IBM) and now in the 21st century, has taken the rein as Goliath and isn't afraid to stomp on the little man. Director Alex Gibney poses the question(s): Why are we all so obsessed with Steve? Why did we all mourn for a man we've never met? What emotional connection ties us all with our products to the man himself? If you're interested in this type of pop culture, definitely check it out. Great perspective on a man and company that have changed/dominated our culture in many, many ways.

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• Now we get to see the Real Steve Jobs

  ezriderz2015-09-12

  I loved the parts about how they built "blue boxes" to hack the phone company way before they ever considered Apple. I'd read about Captain Crunch (John Draper) and the phone hacking boxes about 50 years ago when I was in college and this just confirms the story which was also published October 1971 issue of Esquire magazine. Steve Jobs was not a very nice guy. He ripped off his friends, denied his own daughter, and bullied his employees. He was also a genius and designed excellent products that have changed the toy-box of America and the world. Without Steve Jobs ripping off Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) of their graphical user interface, the mouse, laser printers, and ethernet, these technological advances might have languished on the shelves of that Ivory Tower for years before they made it to the public market place. And remember that Steve Jobs designed the first real usable smart phone and pocket media player. Unlike other Steve Jobs movies, this one is a documentary with real camera footage of the two Steves (J & W) in their early and later days. The Dylan musical background made me want to skip back to play some songs again and again. This movie does not glorify nor defile Steve Jobs, but only tells it like he really was, with home movie footage to back it up. Very well done and easily held my interest and attention.

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• Another Look At The Late Steve Jobs

  Desertman842015-04-28

  Steve Jobs: Man in the Machine is another unauthorized documentary about the late Steve Jobs after he died.The early scenes provided the global outpouring of sadness when the late Apple founder died in 2011.The narrator - Alex Gibney - was surprised as it was someone whom he believed should not have received the same outpouring considering that Jobs is not a beloved leader of a country nor an entertainer but rather someone who only sold modern consumer electronics and who provided an impact in changing the world in four industries such as the computer industry,movie industry,the telephone industry and the music industry. But interesting things have yet to come after the start of the documentary as it serves more of a judgement of the tech legend as a person especially with interviews coming from the likes of Chrisann Brennan, Daniel Kottke, and iPod mastermind Jon Rubinstein are part of it.Also included was Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak,early Macintosh director of Engineering Bob Belleville;iPhone team member Andy Grignon and many others.Apple refused to cooperate and provide interview in it. With the people mentioned in the previous paragraph and Jobs' company's non-participation in it,expect many bad things about Steve to be revealed such as: not recognizing his first daughter Lisa when his girlfriend Chrisann got pregnant;how he lied his paternity and was upset about paying $500 a month in child support when Apple made $200 million in its IPO;how he bullied reporters;how he cheated on his taxes by backdating stock options and profits;how he cheated Wozniak by lying about the payments of the Atari game that the latter designed;how he manipulated people in his company;the chaotic workplace at Apple and a lot more. Too bad that these got emphasized as Gibney was convincing in providing details to it. After watching this,I know that many Steve Jobs fans and loyal Apple products users would be upset once again as this is simply about the negative facts about the tech legend.But looking more into it,I felt that the global outpouring shown by billions of people worldwide have overlooked these with the products he has contributed in the world in various industries.Overall,the fans and the user would probably see the man and the products he sold into the world rather than the horrible person that is Steve Jobs.

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• The best documentary account we have so far.

  zacherybharrington2015-11-21

  This documentary deserves 9 stars because it is the best doc/feature we've seen thus far in it's delivery of the factual events of Steve Job's life and the scope in which it does so. I chose NOT to give this film a 10 out of 10 because, there are some events where the narrator's script seems to deliver biased moral opinion on the events and choice made in Steve Job's life even if it is often both positive AND negative. Because there seems to be a bias at times, it detracts from the documentary's potential as a film for the preservation and posterity of Steve Job's historical life and actions but, if you're capable of thinking for yourself and listening only to the wonderful facts that it presents and are capable of forming your own opinions and ignoring the occasional political spin. This is the best doc/feature we've had in the last 4 years since his passing in terms of delivering a full account of all the man's most notable works and his own personal life. Excellent work.

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