The eagerly awaited biopic of the late Steve Jobs, known simply as “Jobs”, will be hitting the theaters this Friday, August 16, 2013.  But before that, a lucky few were already able to catch the movie when it premiered at the Regal Cinemas L.A. on August 13, 2013.

So what do the critics have to say about Jobs the Movie?

One of the first viewers stated that there was something missing from the movie, namely the cast of “That 70’s Show,” stating that it was hard to see Ashton Kutcher as being Steve Jobs, even if he does look a lot like the younger version of the Apple titan.  The critic stated that Kutcher didn’t sound like Jobs, and so it was hard not to think that a cast of the popular TV show would pop out at any moment.

Even Steve Wozniak, Apple’s co-founder, was not very fond of the movie, stating that in one scene, the part where he and Jobs were arguing about the value of a computer, just did not happen in real life.  But while The Woz was not a fan of the movie, he did admit that Josh Gad, the actor who played Woz, played his role a little closer to him.

“Totally wrong. Personalities and where the ideas of computers affecting society did not come from Jobs. They inspired me and were widely spoken at the Homebrew Computer Club. Steve came back from Oregon and came to a club meeting and didn’t start talking about this great social impact. His idea was to make a $20 PC board and sell it for $40 to help people at the club build the computer I’d given away. Steve came from selling surplus parts at HalTed… he always saw a way to make a quick buck off my designs (this was the 5th time),” The Woz stated in an interview back in January.

The actor and the director

Still, many admired Kutcher for his acting skills, stating that he played the part right.  Kutcher actually had the chance to meet Jobs in person back in 2011, but the meeting never took place, firstly because Kutcher had work commitments, and then on October 5, 2011, Jobs sadly passed away.

Director Stern was full of praise for Kutcher and his portrayal of Steve Jobs

However, Kutcher later stated that not meeting Jobs may have been a blessing in disguise since if he had met him, he may have seen a mannerism or attitude not normal for the Apple co-founder that he would have fixated on. Had this happened, he claims he would have changed how he played the role.  He did study Jobs’ mannerisms and demeanor by reading biographies and even watching keynotes to get a sense of how to properly portray him. Many may have underestimated Kutcher’s acting skills, but Joshua Michael Stern, the film’s director, stated that he came prepared, which says a lot about an actor.

“I have had the good fortune of being consistently underestimated,” Kutcher says with a sigh. “I think there is value in that.”

Stern also stated that Kutcher was able to capture Jobs’ peculiar mannerisms, even his inability to convey what he wanted.  The director did his research, interviewing the people who were around during Jobs’ younger years, who told him how the innovator used to have a hard time conveying what he wanted, even he knew what he wanted.  But with that communication inefficiency, Jobs was able to transform himself to the charismatic leader that the world grew to love.

“The one thing that fascinated me the most about his [Steve Jobs] story is that this man known for his eloquent presentations had a very, very difficult time explaining things,” Stern said in an interview.

“The young Steve Jobs had a hard time articulating something that didn’t exist. He could see it, taste it, knew what it felt like, but he didn’t have all the language because it hadn’t been invented yet. People didn’t fathom the personal computer on a mass produced level. I loved the fact that this amazing communicator once struggled to find the words to describe the story he wanted to tell.”

The fate of Apple

It’s no secret that Apple’s stock has slumped since the passing of Jobs; some say that investors are unsure of CEO Tim Cook’s strategy, but the company is still far from dipping below that red line.  Nevertheless, critics argue that the feeling of exclusivity offered by Apple’s products is slowly diminishing, especially with the introduction of the iPad mini and the iPhone now available through more carriers.  But Cook’s vision is not one of exclusivity, rather he wants to equip everyone with an Apple product.  And with rumors of a low-cost iPhone looking more and more real by the day, his dreams may soon turn into reality, or alternatively they could become Apple’s worst nightmare if it backfires.

Is Carl Icahn about to make life hell for Tim Cook?

Cook’s position isn’t helped by the arrival of activist investor Carl Icahn on the scene – the man responsible for sabotaging Michael Dell’s dream of privatizing the world’s number three computer maker. Icahn announced his investment in the company late last night, claiming on Twitter that he now holds a very large position in Apple – leading to rumors that he might be about to shake things up and potentially even try to replace Cook with a new CEO. That’s all speculation of course, but Icahn rather onimously stated in his tweet that Apple has been extremely undervalued, and if investors and the board believe his claims, this could be the beginning of the end for Cook.

The question now is, with the Jobs movie release so close to Apple’s press event on September 10, how might the flick affect the sales of the new iPhone?  Will the movie inspire a new breed of fanbois to rush out and buy the new iPhone? Will buying one make them feel closer to the late innovator?  Or might it all backfire, with the movie showing people the dark side of Steve Jobs and causing them to ditch Apple and its products.

So far, it looks as if the movie has had a bit of an impact on Apple’s stock price at least.  On April 2, 2012 when it was announced that Kutcher would be portraying Jobs, Apple’s stocks rose from $599.95 to $618.63.  When the movie debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January, its stock price fell from $506.09 to $502.68 during the first day of the festival and ended at $439.88 by the end.  It seems like investors, much like The Woz, weren’t fans of the movie, and things only got worse as Apple’s stock price fell from $413.50 to $402.54 when the first trailer for the movie was released.  But interestingly, when the movie premiered on August 13, stocks rose back up from $467.36 to $489.57.  Now, many people believe that Apple’s stocks may climb even higher when the movie sees its general release this Friday.

We’ll find out soon enough :)