Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine

A look at the personal and private life of the late Apple CEO, Steve Jobs. According to critics, a very biased and negative look at these aspects, but who knows? I personally didn't find it to be that negative. Yes, some bad things are said about Jobs, but those are the opinions of the speaker, and the fact is that he was involved in some shady things. Overall, I thought this was pretty fair.

We get a good overview of computer history, phreaking and more. I have to compare to "Steve Jobs", the Oscar-nominated film. As good as that was, it did not touch on some of the best things of this documentary. The hacking? I would love to have known more. I also now see why Ashton Kutcher was cast in the other Jobs biopic. Fassbinder is the better actor, but wow, Kutcher actually bears a resemblance to Jobs. It is remarkable.

I feel that a lot of content about Steve Jobs, whether film or TV interviews or books or written articles, often present a simplistic, one-sided, view of Steve Jobs. Many present just a portion, such as the technological achievements; others just cover certain time periods--the resurgence of Apple after 2000--and doesn't clearly convey the character of Steve Jobs and his history.

This documentary is something unique: it presents a balanced view of Steve Jobs. It is mostly about Steve Jobs as a person and less about Apple or technologies he was involved in.

Steve Jobs: Man in the Machine covers not only the good side, including his spiritual journey, but also his terrible personality, some serious ethics lapses (such as the options backdating scandal or the secret deal with other companies to prevent tech workers from getting jobs elsewhere), and some controversial manufacturing practices sanctioned by Apple (regarding its suppliers in China and elsewhere). This coverage of the controversial issues is what makes this a great documentary; it doesn't whitewash anything at all.

If you are looking for something more about the technology or how he made Apple into a success, you should check out other material. But if you are looking to learn about how Steve Jobs was as a person, I highly recommend this documentary. I have seen or read quite a bit about Steve Jobs (since the 90's) and this probably does the best job of covering his complex personality and his decisionmaking.

Great movie about great man! Steve Jobs was a genius, but a strange person. This biopic helps to understand him a little better. Everybody is talking about that his communication with his colleagues was harsh and that he was tyrant, but we can see now that is necessary to get the job done. His love and passion for Apple and his products was fascinating. Great innovator, talent to change things in a way that is unexpected. He changed people habit of working with technology. Downside was his obsessive controlling disorder and his arrogance. It helped his to make great new gadgets, but made a lot of enemies around him. In some cases he acted like a spoiled child. Anyway, you should see the movie and judge for your own.

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.

Film Review: Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine. Academy Award Winning Director Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side - 2008) loves his "behind the scenes" look at people and events (Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief - 2015). So, it 's no surprise he's ready and able to take on Steve Jobs. This look at Apple/Jobs moving quickly pass the start up years of Apple, and focuses primarily on Jobs' work ethics (and/or lack there of). Through select interviews and replaying of testimony, the viewer is provided a unique look into Jobs' personal, public and work life persona - all showing a bundle contradictions. However, be this information new or old to the viewer, there is no question the Man behind the Machine (Apple) produced one of today's most innovative products.