BLACKBERRY (NETFLIX) (2023)

SYNOPSIS: The true story of the meteoric rise & catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone, BLACKBERRY is a whirlwind ride through a ruthlessly competitive Silicon Valley at breakneck speeds.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Before Apple’s iPhone reigned supreme in the smartphone world, there were the likes of BlackBerry, Palm, Motorola, and Nokia. BlackBerry tells the story of how one of these early giants — the company that made QWERTY keyboards iconic rose to global dominance and eventually met its downfall.

Set in Waterloo, Ontario in 1996, the film follows Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and Doug Fregin (Matt Johnson), co-founders of Research in Motion (RIM). Initially a small modem manufacturer, their company caught the attention of the fiercely ambitious Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton), who became co-CEO. Under his aggressive leadership, their prototype “PocketLink” evolved into the BlackBerry, a revolutionary device that became a global phenomenon even drawing the envy and eventual hostility of competitors like Palm.

Directed and co-written by Matt Johnson, BlackBerry plays like a sharp, fast-paced docudrama. It’s energetic, often chaotic and shot with a handheld, almost documentary feel that mirrors the manic pace of the tech world it depicts. While the tone can be light and humorous, the film’s portrayal of corporate ambition, hubris and technological obsession runs deep.

The story revolves around the contrasting personalities at the heart of RIM. Lazaridis, the brilliant but idealistic engineer, is obsessed with creating a flawless product often at the expense of business sense. Balsillie, in contrast, is a ruthless, foul-mouthed executive whose hunger for success knows no limits. Meanwhile, Fregin, the eccentric and easily distracted co-founder, represents the fading spirit of the startup’s early, geeky camaraderie and inevitably becomes the first casualty of corporate evolution.

Though it’s framed as a tech biopic, BlackBerry is really about people — the visionaries and egos that drive innovation and destruction alike. The film suggests that technology doesn’t fail; people do. A company’s downfall often stems not from its engineering flaws but from mismanagement, ego clashes and an inability to adapt.

Blending tragedy and comedy, BlackBerry delivers both an entertaining and insightful look at the volatile nature of the tech industry. Baruchel and Howerton are outstanding, anchoring the film with their sharply contrasting performances. Smartly written, fast-moving and surprisingly funny, BlackBerry is one of the best cautionary tales about the rise and fall of modern innovation.

And if there’s one takeaway after watching this, you might start wondering: who’s next? Microsoft? Nokia? We can only hope more stories like this get their time on screen.

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee