Steve Jobs’s personality is mindblowing: the founder of Apple, a visionary and an engineer-artist who regarded computers as art. Many films and essays have sought to fathom who he was and the secret of his success. His story is one of relentless ambition and innovation and an uncompromising pursuit of perfection — traits that defined not just Apple but an entire industry. From his ascendance as a rebellious entrepreneur working in a garage to his spectacular fall from Apple and comeback, Jobs’s life has had enough drama for a Hollywood script. Documentarian and biopic filmmakers have tried to depict various layers of his persona—his genius, intensity, and yes, even flaws—in films that take different approaches to the man who created the iPhone and Mac. Love him or loathe him, there can be little argument that Steve Jobs was one of the most impactful people of the digital age.
Content
- Jobs
- Pirates of Silicon Valley
- Steve Jobs
- The Pixar Story
- Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine
- iGenius: How Steve Jobs Changed the World
- Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview
- Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires
- iSteve
- Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy
- Steve Jobs: One Last Thing
Jobs
IMDb: 6.0/10
2013, Biography, Drama
USA, Switzerland, PG-13
Director: Joshua Michael Stern
Top cast: Ashton Kutcher, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad
Steve works at Atari and is unhappy with his life, his job, and his colleagues. He doesn’t want to stay at a company with no future. Steve dreams of grand achievements and big challenges. He finds such a challenge in the garage of his friend Woz, where there’s a homemade personal computer. He believes this is what humanity needs, even if they aren’t aware. Later, Steve and Woz found Apple in Jobs’s garage. The journey to their dream is tough. No one wants to fund a startup promising something unknown. 'Jobs', the movie, came out a year and a half after Steve Jobs’s death, though work on the script started while he was still alive. Critics didn’t like Ashton Kutcher’s portrayal, but the movie is still a must-see.
Pirates of Silicon Valley
IMDb: 7.2/10
1999, Biography, Drama, History
USA, Unrated
Director: Martyn Burke
Top cast: Anthony Michael Hall, Noah Wyle, Joey Slotnick
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates were both trying at that time to develop the personal computer industry in endless rivalry with one another. Martin Burke’s drama delves into the origins and bitter struggle of two computing giants, Apple and Microsoft. The film is inspired by the book 'Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer', but the screenwriters expand the story beyond its pages. The director didn’t talk to the main figures. Instead, his team did detailed research for seven months, studying newspapers and interviewing witnesses. According to Martin Burke, 'Pirates of Silicon Valley' scenes are purely factual rather than fiction. Steve Wozniak praised the film as the most authentic biopic of his friend.
Steve Jobs
IMDb: 7.2/10
2015, Biography, Drama
USA, UK, Japan, R
Director: Danny Boyle
Top cast: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen
'Steve Jobs' displays a different side of the famous genius. It focuses on three major presentations from 1984, 1988, and 1998. We see Jobs preparing for these events, rushing around, and meeting people from his past. The director highlights the key struggles he faced. 'Steve Jobs' was highly praised by critics. Critics highly praised 'Steve Jobs'. The film won a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay for Aaron Sorkin, and Kate Winslet won Best Supporting Actress. Michael Fassbender, who portrayed Jobs, received an Academy Award nomination itself for Best Actor for his intense, layered performance. But Jobs’s associates thought his depiction on film was far too harsh and were offended by such exaggeration.
The Pixar Story
IMDb: 7.7/10
2007, Documentary
USA, G
Director: Leslie Iwerks
Top cast: Stacy Keach, John Lasseter, Brad Bird
Although 'The Pixar Story' is a documentary, it doesn’t focus on Steve Jobs’s life. Instead, it centers on the history of the animation studio. Steve Jobs famously saved Pixar from collapsing, and everything turned out well. This small company continued by creating the world’s first fully computer-animated film, making Jobs even richer due to his ability to see the potential in new developments. The Pixar Story follows the founders' journey from starting from scratch to creating groundbreaking films that changed animation forever, like 'Toy Story', and 'Finding Nemo'. Jobs stated that Pixar is seen by most as an instant triumph, but when you examine it closely, you will find that most instant triumphs actually take a long time.
Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine
IMDb: 6.9/10
2015, Documentary, Biography
USA, R
Director: Alex Gibney
Top cast: Steve Jobs, Alex Gibney, Steve Wozniak
Oscar-winning director Alex Gibney released a documentary about a tech genius in 2015. He is shown as a complex figure — a businessman, artist, and philosopher. He is also a determined person, a skilled manipulator, a true genius, and even a fanatic. Jobs was obsessed with seeing future possibilities and gathering the right people to make them happen. What others saw as impossible, Jobs considered a remarkable proposal. Gibney went to Apple and asked employees to discuss what they do at work. Their stories are a mix of Stockholm syndrome and rock-star worship. The movie also explores the controversial chapters of Jobs’s family life, including his daughter and his own adoption story.
iGenius: How Steve Jobs Changed the World
IMDb: 6.5/10
2011, Documentary
USA, France, Unrated
Director: Bertrand Deveaud, Lauren Klein, Antoine Robin
Top cast: Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak
It’s not just another documentary about a businessman. The creators are not concerned with Steve Jobs’s character or his secrets. Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman, known as 'MythBusters', take the Discovery Channel through all the ways Apple has changed the world with its innovations. The movie displays how high technology became personal for people. Personal computers evolved from being tools for super-smart introverts to being present in every home. The iPod revolutionized the music industry that changed the interaction between users and musicians. The iPhone removed the need for buttons on smartphones everywhere.
Steve Jobs: The Lost Interview
IMDb: 8.0/10
2012, Documentary
USA, Unrated
Director: Paul Sen
Top cast: Robert X. Cringely, Steve Jobs
In 1995, journalist Robert Cringely sat down with Steve Jobs for an interview featured in the documentary series Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires. During that period, Jobs was unaware that he was on the verge of returning to Apple. However, the interview tape vanished, only to turn up again until 2012 when director Paul Sen discovered it in his garage. The documentary was quickly digitized and released for everyone to view. In the interview, Jobs discusses his first computer, his relationship with Wozniak, an illegal building project they were involved in, and why Xerox never became a true giant. He also writes about innovation, business strategy, and the role of passion in building transformative technology. The rediscovered footage is a fascinating time capsule, capturing Jobs’s raw intelligence and vision just a few years before his triumphant return to Apple, where he would once again change the tech world.
Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires
IMDb: 8.4/10
1996, Documentary
USA, Not Rated
Director: Paul Sen
Top Cast: Robert X. Cringely, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates
Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires is a historical documentary of the era of the personal computer and how computers transformed the world. The documentary relates the story of the creation of the computer era, emphasizing institutions like Apple, Microsoft, IBM, and Xerox. The documentary follows the evolution of computers in their early days, from hobby kits to billion-dollar companies. It shows how Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, and other tech pioneers started and built their companies. It also explains how the early computers, like the Apple I and IBM PC, spawned the digital world we have today. The film is based on the book Accidental Empires by Robert X. Cringely, who also narrates the documentary as its host. The film chronicles the triumphs and disasters, and the rivalries, that shaped the tech industry into what it is today through the employment of interviews and archival footage.
iSteve
IMDb: 5.4/10
2013, Biography, Comedy
USA, Not Rated
Director: Ryan Perez
Top Cast: Justin Long, Jorge Garcia, Art Evans
iSteve is a biopic comedy that tells the life of Steve Jobs in an exaggerated and fictional way. Unlike biopics that are conventional in nature, the movie is a parody and includes real facts, humor, and absurd situations. The movie is inspired by the life of Steve Jobs (played by Justin Long) from his college dropout days to the famous co-founder of Apple Inc. The movie shows his rivalry with Bill Gates, his life at Apple, and how he transformed the world of technology. But the movie is not a true account—it intentionally overstates events and characters for the purpose of humor. The film, a production of the comedy website Funny or Die, was made in just a few days. As such, it is a fast-paced and offbeat reinterpretation of Jobs's life.
Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy
IMDb: 6.7/10
2011, Documentary, Biography
UK, Not Rated
Director: Laura Craig Gray
Top Cast: Steve Jobs, Stephen Fry, Guy Kawasaki
Steve Jobs: Billion Dollar Hippy is a biographical documentary that captures the life and career of Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Inc. The documentary unveils how Jobs combined technology and artistry to create one of the globe’s most successful companies. The documentary explores Jobs' visionary leadership, his vision for the personal computer, and how he turned Apple into a global empire. It also explores his early years at Apple, his departure from the company in 1985, and his return in triumph in the late 1990s, where he created products like the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. In an interview with business analysts, former Apple employees, and industry experts, the movie speaks about Jobs' blend of brilliance and intensity, perfectionism, and how his vision revolutionized the modern world.
Steve Jobs: One Last Thing
IMDb: 6.7/10
2011, Documentary
USA, Not Rated
Director: Sarah Hunt, Mimi O’Connor
Top Cast: Steve Jobs, Robert X. Cringely, Bill Fernandez
Steve Jobs: One Last Thing is a documentary film inspired by the life, career, and legacy of Steve Jobs, one of the most recognized names in the field of technology. The documentary was released soon after Jobs' death in 2011 and serves as a tribute to his impact on the world. The film follows Jobs' ascent from the founding of Apple in 1976 to the launch of innovative products like the Macintosh, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. It also examines his years outside Apple, his rule at Pixar, and his return to Apple in 1997, which saved the company from the brink of disaster. The film features exclusive interviews with Steve Jobs, as well as insights from his friends, colleagues, and competitors, including Bill Gates and Steve Wozniak. It gives an insider’s look at his vision, passion, and leadership style, as well as the challenges he faced throughout his business career.
