Page 18 THE VILLADOM TIMES I, II, III & IV • August 28, 2013 Ashton Kutcher plays title role in ‘Jobs’ by Dennis Seuling “Jobs,” based on the best-selling biography by Walter Isaacson, opens in 2001 as Apple co-founder Steve Jobs (Ashton Kutcher) is introducing a rapt audience at Apple headquarters to the company’s latest gadget, the iPod. The film then flashes back several years to the begin- ning of what would become a revolution is the commu- nications industry. The movie is a straightforward, routine chronicling of the highs and lows that Jobs experienced on his journey to shake up both big business and the American public with new and exciting computer-based products. Unfor- tunately, Jobs’ private life away from Apple is barely shown, even though there is a lot of dramatic material to be mined, such as his refusal to acknowledge paternity of his daughter and years of estrangement from her, his disloyalty to associates who helped him reach his goals, and his calculated payback to those who crossed him in business. Because these aspects are never explored in depth, Kutcher has little to work with other than Jobs’ hunched walk, beard, and barely controlled explosive nature. Much of what is in the film may already be familiar to viewers, so director Joshua Michael Stern has a tough task in creating suspense. The film merely trots out one significant business event after another. The film does not address the entrepreneur’s cancer diagnosis and his stubborn refusal to seek traditional medical treatment, which probably would have extended his life. It never gets to that point, prefer- ring instead to leave the audience with a view of his reinstatement, after years of corporate infight- ing, as CEO of Apple. Kutcher has never been an acting heavyweight. He is fine in light comedy and unchallenging roles, but is above his head as Jobs. Viewers may remember Jobs from his televised introductions of new prod- ucts, but do not know the man as his associates and family did. And it is here that Kutcher has to do more than recite dialogue from a script. His perfor- mance often seems per- functory and ill thought out. While stronger actors work with expression, dra- matic pauses, and reflec- tion in their portrayals, Kutcher is content to do an adequate, if not particu- larly impressive, imper- sonation. The best performance in the film is by Josh Gad (Broadway’s “The Book Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad in a scene from ‘Jobs.’ of Mormon”), who por- trays Jobs’ early partner, Steve Wozniak. Gad plays Wozniak as a self-described Other fine performances are turned in by Matthew tech nerd who is happiest when he is tinkering with a Modine, J.K. Simmons, Dermot Mulroney, Ron Eldard, circuit board or getting caught up in Jobs’ ideas for what and Lukas Haas. is possible. A scene in which Wozniak tearfully tells Rated PG-13 for some strong language, “Jobs” is a Jobs that he is leaving because their friendship seems to hasty overview of the life and achievements of Steve have dried up is both touching and revealing. Wozniak Jobs rather than an in-depth biography. It hits the major has retained his humanity despite having become richer events and observes a reasonably accurate chronologi- than he ever anticipated, while Jobs has become con- cal structure, but offers little insight into the forces that sumed with visions of things to come. Human contact drove Jobs to become one of the most successful entre- has become an inconvenience. preneurs of the last 100 years. Cook Up Some Business! Advertise your restaurant in The Villadom TIMES. You’ll reach over 47,000 households. 201-652-0744 www.villadom.com