Indie biopic ‘jOBS’ hits theaters April 19 (video)

Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad (USA Today 001)

As previously reported, ‘jOBS’ biopic will debut tomorrow as the closing-night film of the Sundance Film Festival in Part City and now word has reached us that the flick, which depicts Steve in his early years (1971-2000), will be premiering in theaters nationwide on Friday, April 19. The indie project stars Ashton Kutcher, who portrays Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs, and his fellow actor Josh Gad, who plays another Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak. An exclusive clip from the movie can be seen right after the break…

Hollywood Reporter has the story:

The biopic, directed by Joshua Michael Stern and written by Matthew Whitely, chronicles Jobs’ ascension from college dropout to one of the most revered entrepreneurs of the 20th century.

Part of the film was shot in the historic garage where Jobs first set up shop at his family’s home in Palo Alto, Calif.

The publication notes that the movie premiers on the 37th anniversary of the founding of the Apple Computer, which isn’t true – Apple was founded on April 1, 1976, and incorporated as Apple Computer, Inc. on January 3, 1977.

Entertainment Weekly has an exclusive clip depicting Kutcher as Jobs and Gad as Woz. The two are seen walking through Hewlett Packard’s parking lot while enthusiastically discussing an operating system that Woz has created.

Here’s an excerpt from their dialogue (emphasis mine):

 “This is freedom! This is freedom to create, and to do and to build, as artists, as individuals,” exclaims Kutcher in the clip. “Look! You’re over-reacting! Even if you were developing this for freaks like us, and I doubt you are, nobody wants to buy a computer, nobody!” Gad shouts back.

To which Kutcher replies, with all the passion of the real Jobs,  ”How does somebody know what they want if they’ve never ever seen it?

Here it is…

By the way, should you happen to be at Macworld next week, Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad will take the main stage on January 31 to kick off the conference and discuss the flick, which also stars Dermot Mulroney, Lukas Haas, J.K. Simmons and Matthew Modine.

Ashton Kutcher  vs Steve Jobs

I’m wondering whether it can become an instant hit or sink at the box office.

Whichever the case, Ashton Kutcher will play a big factor.

Many people I talked to are skeptical because they think Kutcher, who starts in That 70′s Show, won’t be up to the task of portraying the legendary CEO in a believable manner.

Others point out his remarkable similarities with a young Steve Jobs that to a certain extent does help with the actor’s performance.

And what do you think?

Is ‘jOBS’ going to be one of the worst Apple-related movies ever?

Though I have my own share of doubts, I’m as eagerly awaiting it as the next fanboy.