[NewsPoster]

A previously little-known documentary on Apple co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs has debuted at SXSW, drawing mixed reviews for its pre-emptive effort to "counter" the positive image generally put forth in the media by focusing on disgruntled former employees and the ruthless, cruel, or angrier sides of Jobs' personality. Funded by the former legal chief of Gawker and Gizmodo, the film is directed by Oscar-winner Alex Gibney.

The film is called The Man in the Machine, and will see a theatrical release, though a debut date hasn't yet been announced. It is being distributed by Magnolia Pictures for cinema release, and CNN Films for future television airings. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a number of Apple employees walked out of the film during its SXSW screening, with Apple SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue tweeting that the film was "inaccurate and mean-spirited" and "not a reflection of the man I knew."

Very disappointed in SJ:Man in the Machine. An inaccurate and mean-spirited view of my friend. It's not a reflection of the Steve I knew.

— Eddy Cue (@cue) March 16, 2015

Reviews of the film seem to corroborate this view, noting that the film consists almost entirely of dismissed Apple employees, and an ex-girlfriend. "On a certain level, The Man in the Machine functions as a corrective and a tribute to the many brilliant men and women Jobs surrounded himself with, but didn't necessarily give their due; many here attest to his sharp way with a jab and his monomaniacal need for control, particularly with regard to staff retention," wrote Justin Chang of Variety.

"Gibney's film forensically anatomises the contradictions, the ruthlessness, and the pointlessly crappy behaviour that reveal Apple's ideals to be a sham, even while the products themselves continue to prove almost irresistible," noted The Guardian, while others note that Gaby Darbyshire, who was the legal head of Gawker at the time of the stolen iPhone 4 prototype and involved in that case, is one of the film's producers. A significant portion of the movie is devoted to that incident.

Gibney himself was in charge of several highly-regarded documentaries prior to the new film, including Enron: the Smartest Guys in the Room and the unflinching examination of the US government's torture program, Taxi to the Dark Side. This is not to say that the film is unrelentingly negative. Employees such as former hardware chief Jon Rubenstein and college girlfriend Chrisann Brennan are featured, as is Jobs himself (in a combative deposition sequence from the 2008 SEC investigation of stock option dating -- of which Apple was ultimately cleared).

When not focusing on Jobs' hot-tempered personality, stories of some of the triumphs of Apple's and Jobs' achievements over the last 35 years are also given screen time. However, the overall tone of the film is "extremely unflattering," according to viewers, with well-worn stories mostly focused on Jobs' penchant for abuse and poor manners in his treatment of some employees, along with incidents such as his initial denial of paternity in the case of his daughter Lisa Brennan-Jobs.

While Jobs' contributions and vision (as well as a number of credited inventions) do tend to make any media portrayal unevenly emphatic on his genius, the "conceptual and critical assessment" of Jobs' faults and uglier aspects that are the focus of The Man in the Machine, while trying to serve as a counter-balance, appears to come off as overly-reactionary to more flattering portrayals -- a hatchet piece that only achieves some semblance of fairness when taken in context with the eulogies for his legacy, reminding viewers that Jobs was a visionary leader -- but hell to work for, or (at least early in his career) live with.

The film is likely to shoot for a debut ahead of the October release of the long-awaited Universal biopic starring Michael Fassbender as Jobs. In addition, a new printed biography called Becoming Steve Jobs is due out later this month, which most observers -- including Cue -- have praised as a more balanced and accurate representation of Jobs' complex personality. The book features contributions from Tim Cook as well as Cue -- both of whom have expressed disappointment in Walter Isaacson's authorized biography -- and also includes an interview with Jobs' widow, Laurene Powell-Jobs.

[DiabloConQueso]

You can make anyone look like a saint by cherry-picking, and you can vilify that same person with the same cherry-picking methods.

It's hip and cool to hate on Apple, ironically because it's hip and cool to like Apple -- so it's no surprise that we see things and hear opinions that paint Apple and/or Steve Jobs in very polary-oppositey fashions.

[Stuke]

Just a waste of time; who cares at this point. Steve was Steve, creator of your personal digital universe, like that or not. DiabloConQueso said it all.

[Flying Meat]

"...very polary-oppositey fashions."
Welcome to America. :/

[Lynn_Fredricks]

SJ was a brilliant guy. He's been practically worshiped by many in the Appleverse for a long time by people who have denied his shortcomings. I have only met him a few times at Apple events, and seen him close to explosions during some demos. If people really need to know about the man's life, then let them know he was really like, and not as a 100% villain or 100% deity.

[Charles Martin]

Lynn_Fredricks: I agree. I also got to meet him a time or two at Apple events and even got (very occasional) emails from him. Not only was he a very complex character, he changed a lot in his later years (which I think is often under-reported when telling his story). His wife and family really tempered him, imho, and he changed further after getting sick. Most media forms (particularly movies) really don't have the depth to be able to bring his full and evolving nature across his career across with much accuracy.

I won't plan to see it.


Quote if you agree.