'Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine' A Review

Steve Jobs: The Man In The Machine is a documentary about the life of Apple Inc. founder Steve Jobs. The film opens on youtube clips of young people eulogizing Jobs cut with the numerous world wide gatherings mourning his passing. The film then begins to explore his life in rough chronological order through a relatively traditional use of archive footage and talking-head interviews. We see his interest in computers as a child, his job at Atari, the start of Apple, his attempted disowning of his illegitimate daughter, his interest in Buddhism, his firing, his rehiring, his "none" involvement with illegal stock options, the release of the iMac, his aversion to philanthropy, the release of the iPhone, and concludes with his death.

What becomes abundantly clear early on in the film is that Steve Jobs was not a good guy. That Jobs had almost nothing to do with the invention of any of the Apple products, that his main function and purpose was sales and marketing. Throughout the film we are bombarded with Jobs's heightened and hollow rhetoric. His "brilliance" is not in technological innovation but in advertising. He successfully, and falsely, associated Apple with the underdog, the outsider, the artist. Sold this idea not that your computer or phone is a part of you but that it IS you. That buying an Apple product will make you more complete. His "ideals" scan like a dystopian nightmare. Of course, come to find out, all this stuff doesn't make people happier, in fact people are more isolated, more alone. Thanks Steve.

On top of the essential lie of his entire company there is the matter of its practices. No philanthropy, restrictive vindictive working conditions in the US, dangerous factories in China with grossly underpaid workers prone to suicide, illegal activities in order to get executives more money, off shore holding companies to avoid US taxes, harassment of dissenting journalists, on and on. All decisions and practices OK'd if not mandated by Jobs.

The filmmaker is relatively neutral even describing himself as an Apple guy at one point during narration however the information is so stark and damning you wish he would put a bit of a finer point on the conclusions that can be drawn.

Essential viewing for any Apple loyalist, an unpleasant unnecessary experience for those who aren't.

Don't See It.