Once they've hit the screens, Hollywood blockbusters that claim to be based on actual events will inevitably be scoured through by those looking to find faults in their historical accuracy.
For example, witness the furore surrounding whether the manhunt for Osama Bin Laden was really anything like that portrayed in Zero Dark Thirty; or if Steven Spielberg's latest movie has been somewhat fictitious in its chronicling of Abraham Lincoln's presidency.
A new film, however, about technology pioneer Steve Jobs has gone a step further, with a key figure in the story issuing a stinging criticism of the movie's veracity even before it's been officially released.
After just seeing a brief trailer for jOBS, Steve Wozniak, who founded computer firm Apple with Jobs in 1976, claimed the biopic erred in its depiction of the characters as well as the relationships between them - especially the one between him and Jobs.
“We never had such interaction and roles,” Wozniak, who quit Apple in 1987, told the tech blog Gizmodo, after a clip from the movie was posted online ahead its recent premier at the Sundance Film Festival.
“I’m not even sure what it’s getting at,” he said, adding that the “personalities are very wrong -- although mine is closer.”
“The ideas of computers affecting society did not come from Jobs. They inspired me and were widely spoken at the Homebrew Computer Club,” he said, referring to a hobby group to which they belonged.
The film, one of two about the Apple founder who died in 2011, opens in the US in April. The second, which has no release date yet, is based on the biography published by Walter Isaacson shortly after Jobs' death.
Directed by Joshua Michael Stern and with Two and a Half Men star Ashton Kutcher in the title role, jOBS tells the story of his ascension from college dropout to one of the most revered creative entrepreneurs of the 20th century.
The film's producers responded to Wozniak's comments in a statement cited by Entertainment Weekly. "The film is not a documentary, nor is it meant to be a blow-by-blow, word-for-word account of all conversations and events," it said.
“The filmmakers have tremendous admiration and respect for Wozniak and all those that are portrayed in the film, and did extensive research in an effort to make an entertaining accurate film that captures the essence and story of Steve Jobs and those that built Apple with him,” the statement said.
But they acknowledged “that not every single thing in the film is a precise representation of what took place.”
Wozniak said inaccuracy did not necessarily mean the film was bad. “The movie should be very popular and I hope it’s entertaining. It may be very correct, as well. This is only one clip,” he said.
He added: "Our relationship was so different than what was portrayed. I'm embarrassed. But if the movie is fun and entertaining, all the better. Anyone who reads my book iWoz can get a clearer picture." - AFP
