As 'Steve Jobs,' Michael Fassbender may be Oscar-bound
Steve Jobs put thousands of songs in our pocket and mini-computers at our ears. Could he put an Oscar statue on Michael Fassbender's mantle?
Audiences are about to discover that Steve Jobs, opening Friday in New York and Los Angeles (nationwide Oct. 23), is an atypical biography. Rather than a traditional retelling of its subject's life, screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, Moneyball) crafted the controversial tech icon's life into three defined acts, each surrounding pivotal project launches.
"It's not at all a traditional biopic people would expect," says Fandango.com chief correspondent Dave Karger. "It's such a fresh and different take on that kind of movie, and in the hands of two masters like (director) Danny Boyle and Aaron Sorkin, the risk really pays off."
The consensus in Hollywood is that the actor's deft embodiment of the mercurial tech giant is stunning — despite the fact that Fassbender admittedly looks nothing like Jobs, who died in 2011 — and set to propel Fassbender to the top of the Oscar race.
"I think the best actor race is over, personally," says GoldDerby.com founder Tom O'Neil. "Michael Fassbender has every thing he needs to win best actor."
Statistics on Gold Derby, an awards prognosticating site, favor Fassbender over possible contenders such as Johnny Depp (Black Mass), Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl), Michael Caine (Youth), Leonardo DiCaprio (The Revenant), Bryan Cranston (Trumbo) and Matt Damon (The Martian).
The recipe for Oscar gold is hardwired into Steve Jobs. Academy Awards voters historically fall hard for A-listers playing famous people (think Meryl Streep becoming Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady or Helen Mirren ruling as Elizabeth II in The Queen). "That is the kind of huge physical transformation they like to reward," says O'Neil.
The only hiccup Fassbender faces is a lack of heroics. His Jobs, much like the man depicted in Walter Isaacson's authorized biography (on which the screenplay is based), is both a brilliant industry disrupter and a cold millionaire who refuses to claim his eldest daughter, Lisa, despite the proof of a paternity test. In short, in Steve Jobs, Steve Jobs is a jerk.
While a rabid fan base continues to propel the film forward, "Steve Jobs is doing a better job of captivating younger social-savvy audiences than your usual biopic," says Tobi Bauckhage, co-founder of fan entertainment site Moviepilot.com, noting that the movie already has stirred up more chatter on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube than The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game had prior to their releases last fall.
In fact, the biggest obstacle to a win may be Fassbender himself.
The actor, last nominated for best supporting actor for his depraved slave owner in 12 Years a Slave, has famously declined to campaign in the past. "He's one of the more notable best actor snubs of the last decade with his performance in Shame," notes Karger. But Q&As and screenings with Academy members are crucial to getting the gold.
"He's not going to kiss babies in Beverly Hills, but Meryl Streep didn't do that," says O'Neil. "(But) I think we can feel confident he's going to do the basic job that's necessary."
A successful campaign may bring more than a statue. Steve Jobs could finally hardwire Fassbender as a household name.
"If he does become the best actor front-runner, this helps his star power more than anything he's done," says Karger.