As a free release on the Internet, the movie went unseen by film critics, with most public reactions coming from tech and business bloggers.[6][7] According to Forbes, early reviews are mixed.[5]Wired reviewer Mat Honan stated that the movie was "profoundly unfunny" and that "If 'Funny or Die' is a promise, the crew should probably start coffin shopping."[8] Honan claims that the film has several inaccuracies but also notes that the film is a parody, which somewhat offsets that.[8]CNET reviewer Amanda Kooser also notes that the movie "cut a few corners as far as accuracy goes".[9] Kooser notes that the film succeeded, in a sense, in beating Ashton Kutcher's Jobs to market as the first Steve Jobs biopic after his death (Pirates of Silicon Valley had been produced and released in 1999, 3 years after Jobs returned to Apple).[9] Kooser also notes that the movie had rampant anachronistic technology term usage.[9]Variety reviewer AJ Marechal notes that the movie, which was written in three days and shot in five,[3][5] "has its funny moments", but that it may be "too long", especially for the Funny or Die viewership.[3]The New York Times critic Brooks Barnes described the movie as a "biopic poking fun at biopics" and said that writer Ryan Perez said "In true Internet fashion, it’s not based on very thorough research — essentially a cursory look at the Steve Jobs Wikipedia page".[10] Barnes also noted that the movie also bested a third Jobs movie in the works by Aaron Sorkin adapted from Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson with input from Wozniak to the market.[10]Fortune reviewer Philip Elmer-DeWitt describes the movie as " an over-long Saturday Night Live skit that never quite gets rolling", but noted it had a few things going for it.[2]
Macworld reviewers Dan Moren and Lex Friedman provided one of the few positive reviews describing the movie as a humorous Jobs biography that "...is surprisingly amusing, provided you are both a fan of Apple and of stupid comedy, and presuming you also don’t mind a little profanity sprinkled in for good measure."[11]Forbes reviewer noted that the scheduled April 15 release was delayed 2 days due to the Boston Marathon bombings.[5]
