I finally got around to watching Steve Jobs and can now look at them both. I much prefer Jobs.
I remember people ripping Kutcher's version and praising Fassbender's so it was great to finally check it out for myself but I though Kutcher's was WAY better.
Jobs (Kutcher):
- Kutcher *is* Jobs. They look and talk and move the same it's uncanny. You can tell how much work Kutcher put into the character.
- Josh Gad *is* Woz. Honestly, all the actors could have been any one of the real guys.
- Much more character-driven.
- Covers a lot of the history of Jobs and Apple and the "small" people who were there from the start.
- Jobs isn't a dick the entire time.
- So much more meat to chew on.
- I really enjoyed the character development, I felt like I knew them pretty well by the end.
- Kutcher's performance was spot-on and really made everything work.
Steve Jobs (Fassbender):
- A-List cast but none of them really fit the characters. I didn't buy Fassbender as Jobs at all. I think they thought they could just buy an all-star cast and it would just work out.
- Seth Rogan is *not* Woz, not even close.
- Jobs is a dick throughout.
- I don't care about anyone, really, I just don't. They spent way too much screen time beating a few things into the ground (ie. "28% could be the Father").
I've read Jobs' biography, it's amazing, and felt a real connection with Kutcher's version, but Fassbenders' version was weak at best. I really have no idea why the media trashed Kutcher's version so badly.