Sheer, absolute awe. Allow me to explain.
The screenplay is the beating heart of any movie and dialogues are the lifeblood of a screenplay; writing dialogue is an art form in itself.
Over the years, several screenwriters have made a name for themselves courtesy of their fantastic dialogue.
There’s Quentin Tarantino and his tantalizing tangential conversations; there’s Pulitzer Prize-winning David Mamet and his profanity-laden, fast-paced rat-a-tat, there’s Armando Ianucci and his acerbic insults; there’s Richard Linklater; there’s Cameron Crowe; there’s Diablo Cody.
All the names mentioned above are gifted dialogue writers. However, there have been few better exponents of the craft than Aaron Sorkin, the patron saint of hyper-articulate, whirlwind dialogue.
His characters don’t speak; they recite poetry, Sorkin’s dazzling dialogue hurtling out of their mouth at the speed of light.
While The Social Network (2011) remains his pièce de résistance as a screenwriter, it’s in Steve Jobs (2015) where Sorkin the dialogue writer is genuinely unleashed, and both his talents and by proxy the movie itself, are a sight to behold.
Steve Jobs: Fix it!
Andy Hertzfeld: We're not a pit crew at Daytona. This can't be fixed in seconds.
Steve Jobs: You didn't have seconds, you had three weeks. The universe was created in a third of that time.
Andy Hertzfeld: Well, someday you'll have to tell us how you did it.
A biographical fare unlike any other, Sorkin, uniquely frames Steve Jobs. Eschewing the conventional biographical narrative, Sorkin structures the movie as a three-act play, each act taking place 30 minutes before the launch of a major Apple product.
Steve Wozniak: What do you do? You're not an engineer. You're not a designer. You can't put a hammer to a nail. I built the circuit board! The graphical interface was stolen! So how come ten times in a day I read Steve Jobs is a genius? What do you do?
Steve Jobs: Musicians play their instruments. I play the orchestra.
Wikipedia describes Steve Jobs as a ‘biographical drama.’ It’s much more rousing than that rather dull description indicates. Steve Jobs is essentially a high-octane action movie, and Sorkin’s words are .50 calibre bullets, tearing through everything in their path.
Joanna Hoffman: I'm begging you to manage expectations.
Steve Jobs: Have I ever let you down?
Joanna Hoffman: Every single goddamn time.
Steve Jobs: Then I'm due.
And in the hands of accomplished actors such as Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet and Jeff Daniels who are eloquent in ‘Sorkinese,’ the bullets have an added potency.
I am often in awe of gifted artists, captivated by their talent. While watching a particular scene in Steve Jobs, though, I was overwhelmed; enough to pause the movie.
Overwhelmed by Sorkin’s dialogue and his ability to turn the mundane into the marvellous.
If writing dialogue were music, Sorkin would be Mozart. And while musicians play their instruments, Sorkin plays the orchestra.
I have revisited Steve Jobs umpteen times and I’m left with an overpowering sense of awe, every time.
Sorkin’s work here, and the movie in general, deserve to be talked about more. I believe it’s one of the best movies of the decade.
Steve Jobs: I sat in a garage and invented the future because artists lead and hacks ask for show of hands.
If you haven't yet seen it, I implore you - please do.
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