BlackBerry: Film Review
Who can remember the BlackBerry, the world’s first smartphone (as we know them today)? You probably had one before the iPhone took over the world. Matt Johnson‘s comedy-drama takes a fictionalised look at the meteoric rise and tragic downfall of the device.
The Canadian film is told in three chapters set in three defining time periods for Research in Motion (RIM), the small Canadian company founded by childhood buddies Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and Doug Fregin (Johnson), tech innovators who had no idea how to run or grow a business. In 1996, they were joined by ruthless businessman Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton), who promised to make the device huge. And he delivered – in 2003, BlackBerry became the most popular phone in the world and RIM couldn’t keep up with the demand. Sadly, that success was short-lived and the 2007-2008 chapter depicts RIM trying and failing to compete with the iPhone.
While films like The Social Network and Air claim to be based on a true story but ultimately take liberties with the facts, BlackBerry is very upfront about being a fictionalised version of events. It is loosely based on the book, Losing the Signal, so a lot of the moments are accurate – but there’s also plenty that have been made up or embellished for dramatic purposes.
This results in a biographical film that is funny, thrilling, gripping and seriously entertaining. Watching the dynamics within the trio change over the years is particularly fascinating. Fregin retains his slacker bro energy throughout, while Lazaridis overhauls his character and turns into a serious corporate businessman thanks to Balsillie’s influence. This drives a wedge between the childhood friends that builds and builds to a very satisfying conclusion.
It’s quite tragic how the BlackBerry was the defining gadget of a generation at one point and then disappeared into obsolescence several years later. Yes, the iPhone basically killed it off but there were other issues at play: they overpromised to investors, rushed out subpar products, made dubious hires, and compromised their standards and morals to keep up with the demand.
Howerton, best known for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, is the standout as the hero and the villain of the piece. Balsillie has the drive and cutthroat determination to make BlackBerry succeed but he is also greedy, makes some very questionable decisions and takes the rule of law with a pinch of salt.
I only know of Baruchel thanks to his roles in Seth Rogen comedies like This Is The End and Knocked Up so BlackBerry showed me a different side to him entirely, particularly in the later years when Lazaridis becomes as ruthless as Balsillie. Lazaridis goes through the biggest transformation throughout the film and it was interesting to see this develop across the three chapters.
It’s no Social Network, the gold standard of movies about technological innovations, but BlackBerry is still a great film about a smartphone I used to love.
In cinemas from Friday 6th October