I write about the culture of Silicon Valley for the San Jose Mercury News.
Steve Jobs biopic finally sees the light on Funny or Die
At least some outfit is actually going to get one of these Steve Jobs biopics finished.
The New York Times reports that website Funny or Die (which has left a lot more people laughing than dead) will put up a Jobs movie, “iSteve,” that is an hourish long.
Look for it April 15, which will give you a little break from worrying about taxes and how your return is overdue.
Let’s just say the world has been waiting for the film version of the life of the Apple chief. And OK, the thing is not going to be serious. In fact it’s going to make fun of biopics in general — and isn’t it about time someone made fun of biopics in general?
But to show they’re not just joking around, the Funny or Die crew lined up Justin Long, who’s appeared in “New Girl” and ”Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story” for goodness sakes. He’ll play Jobs. I mean, Justin Long is a likable, boyish-looking actor with thick eyebrows and a friendly smile, according to IMDb.
No, “iSteve” won’t have the heft, or the budget, of Aaron Sorkin’s film based on Walter Isaacson’s gigantic biography, or Ashton Kutcher’s independent effort, “Jobs,” which made a brief appearance at Sundance before seeing its shadow and scurrying away not to be seen again.
Funny or Die guy Ryan Perez sought to manage expectations for the film in a way marketing genius Steve Jobs never would.
“We might not be the best, but we will be the first,” he joked with the New York Times.
Hey, the guy wrote the 81-page script in three days and taped the whole film in five, which I think is pretty good work.
“In true Internet fashion, it’s not based on very thorough research — essentially a cursory look at the Steve Jobs’ Wikipedia page,” Perez told the Times. “It’s very silly. But it looks at his whole life.”
This could be a breakout film for Funny or Die, which was launched with the help of Sequoia Capital. Who says VCs have no sense of humor?
Sometimes humor is just what we need. And after all, haven’t we taken Steve Jobs seriously enough for long enough?
Let’s laugh a little.
Photo: distributed by the Associated Press
I write about the culture of Silicon Valley for the San Jose Mercury News.
