Steve Jobs - A-

Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs

Rated R, 122 minutes

There are two things you should know about the well-made, powerful "Steve Jobs," the drama about the iconic Apple Inc. founder: it has nothing to do with Apple's current devices (and with only passing reference to iPod) or his illness, and while it's not your typical biography, it's mesmerizing one. Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 (pre-iPod, iPhone and iPad) with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender, excellent here) takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter. Directed by Oscar-winner Danny Boyle and written by Oscar-winner Aaron Sorkin based on Walter Isaacson's 2011 novel of the same name, the engrossing, slick and well-acted "Steve Jobs" is by far the best film made about Jobs, far exceeding the rushed and sloppy "Jobs," starring Ashton Kutcher, who bears more physical resemblance than Fassbender but lacks the latter's gravitas in this film's most memorable performance. "Steve Jobs" is also aided by Boyle's focused direction and especially Sorkin's sharp script and dialogue, along with a very strong, stellar supporting cast, some of whom could see accolades come awards time. The unconventional biopic plays to Sorkin's strength, as this is essentially a series of extended, engaging conversations dealing with Jobs' business interests and personal life, primarily his daughter Lisa (played by various actresses here) and ex-girlfriend and Lisa's mother, Chrisann Brennan (played as a mopey, troubled woman by Katherine Waterston). His business interests in Apple Inc.'s rise is far more interesting, with memorable turns as Apple colleagues: Kate Winslet as Marketing Director and Jobs confidante Joanna Hoffman, Jeff Daniels as embattled CEO John Sculley, Seth Rogen as co-founder Steve Wozniak, and Michael Stuhlbarg as brilliant Mac team member Andy Hertzfeld. All are believably strong, though Winslet's Polish accent comes in and out, with two of the film's most effective scenes coming with Daniels and in one showdown late in the film between Jobs and Woz ("you can be brilliant and a decent person" Woz retorts). Fassbender's is cinema's best Jobs giving him much-needed depth, though in fact we don't much more about him after the film than we did before, except he was all-too human, both genius and jerk, and as he says himself "I wasn't well-made" - as well as a flash of much-needed sexiness from Fassbender's strong appeal. Though far from insightful or even an expansive biography (not to mention there were many, many involved from Apple in this technical and creative process and these folks, while interesting, seem cherry-picked for cinematic interests), "Steve Jobs" is vastly entertaining and satisfying, and Jobs himself would likely give his stamp of approval. One of the year's best put-together films (it's superbly edited), expect some accolades and awards consideration for " Steve Jobs," mainly for Sorkin's script, Fassbender's superbly nuanced portrayl, and Daniels or Stuhlbarg in small but pivotal supporting roles. Definitely worth a look.