Ashton Kutcher’s ‘Jobs’ biopic opens to mixed reviews

After months of speculation, interviews, and clips, the highly anticipated ‘Jobs’ biopic starring Ashton Kutcher finally hit thters today. And despite Open Road ’s best marketing efforts, initial reviews are a mixed bag.Looking at review aggregation sitemetacritic, the flick scored a decent 43 out of 100, but over atRotten Tomatoes, it scored just 25 out of 100. Want to see what others thought about the ? Keep rding for our review roundup…Manohla Dargis ofThe New York Timeswrites:“Written by Matt Whiteley, the is bookended by scenes of the middle-aged Jobs, doing what some believed he did best: pitching new products. Fuzzed up and hunched over, Mr. Kutcher looks somewhat like the young Jobs, and there are moments — as when he gives another character a small, devious look as if sliding in a knife — that the casting seems more than a matter of bottom-line calculation. But Mr. Kutcher doesn’t have the tools that some actors use to transcend wk material and either he didn’t receive any help or didn’t allow any rl direction from Mr. Stern.”And Michael O’Sullivan ofThe Washington Post:“Although I think I could watch a whole called “Woz” and not grow tired, “Jobs” eventually begins to suffer from an ailment common to many biopics: milestone fatigue. The is so thick with Jobs’s career highlights and lowlights that there’s little room for insights. What made this famously private man tick?Kutcher tries to tell us, but “Jobs” keeps getting in the way.”Peter Travers writing forRolling Stone Magazine:“Casting Ashton Kutcher as ’s mercurial trailblazer, Steve Jobs, could have backfired big-time. It’s one thing being the highest-paid sitcom star on , another for Charlie Sheen’s replacement onTwo and a Half Mento find the gravitas to play a computer-and-marketing visionary pursued by personal and professional demons. Kutcher nails the ius and narcissism. It’s a quietly dazzling performance.As a ,Jobsis a decidedly mixed bag. Director Joshua Michael Stern (Swing Vote) and newbie screenwriter Matt Whiteley check off boxes in Jobs’ life like they’re connecting the dots.”Steve Woz himself actually reviewed the forGizmodo:“I felt bad for many people I know well who were portrayed wrongly in their interactions with Jobs and the company. The ends pretty much where the grt Jobs finally found product success (the iPod) and changed so many of our lives. I’m grateful to Steve for his excellence in the i-era, and his contribution to my own life of enjoying grt products, but this portrays him having had those skills in rlier times.”And here’s Claudia Puig writing forUSA Today:“ButJobs(* * out of four; rated PG-13; opens Friday nationwide), the biopic starring Ashton Kutcher as the late co-founder of , can’t seem to decide whether to glorify the man for his achievements or vilify him for his megalomania. One thing it doesn’t do is offer a revling look at the mercurial entrepreneur. The that brs his name settles on a blandly superficial trtment of a deeply complex man.And, for that, it’s sy to ignore.”As you can see, there were some very different takways on how Kutcher did as Steve. Most thought he did ok, though, and blamed the bulk of the ’s problems on an uninspiring script and lack of direction from behind the camera.There were also, it sounds like, a lot of concerns about the accuracy of some of the events in the . But as I’ve said before, that’s going to happen anytime you have a based on such a high-profile topic or subject, like Steve.Regardless, I’m still looking forward to seeing the this weekend. How about you?