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In contrast to similar 2023 movies like Air and Tetris, director Matt Johnson's BlackBerry is not an upbeat underdog story with an uplifting ending about a successful company. Instead, BlackBerry is about the rise and fall of the once-popular smartphone, with the screenplay showing as much interest in the company's failures as its successes. Sharply scripted by Johnson and Matthew Miller, the movie was adapted from the novel Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry, and it's easily one of 2023's most unexpected gems. Brilliantly performed by a powerhouse ensemble cast and superbly executed by Johnson and his team, BlackBerry is a serious awards contender that deserves more attention.
In Canada in 1996, Research in Motion CEO Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and co-founder Douglas Fregin (director Johnson) hatch an idea to create an integrated mobile phone which works like a computer. They pitch the idea to businessman Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton) who despises the pitch but believes the project has moneymaking potential, and buys into the company as Co-CEO to lead the group of gifted tech geeks who are clueless about the corporate world. Jim pushes the team to hurriedly build a prototype to show as a proof of concept, which leads to the birth of the "BlackBerry" phone. The phone rapidly takes off in popularity, but the company is not immune from the shady dealings of the corporate world, and the government soon begins to pursue them.
BlackBerry delves into several key periods in the company's history, with creative title cards to inform us of the year. After dealing with the company's beginnings leading up to the launch of its first mobile phone in the late 1990s, the script skips ahead to the 2000s when the cracks begin to show. Although the company manages to recover from the tech limitations of network providers in 2003, as well as an attempted hostile takeover, the 2007 launch of the iPhone immediately causes serious trouble, with the new smartphone quickly being perceived as the BlackBerry killer. By zeroing in on just three critical periods of time, rather than running through everything from the company's inception through to its collapse, BlackBerry does not feel like a fluffy Wikipedia biopic (see 2013's Jobs).
Armed with an R rating, BlackBerry is full of sharp, punchy, humorous dialogue, and the sense of authenticity is omnipresent as these characters walk and talk like real, fleshed-out people. A talky drama like this fundamentally lives and dies on the strength of the dialogue and cast, and BlackBerry is an easy home run in both of these departments. Howerton's powerhouse performance as Jim is the standout; he dominates every frame with his commanding, foul-mouthed portrayal of the unscrupulous businessman. This could also be Baruchel's most nuanced and adult performance to date, truly coming into his own as an actor after years of fluffy comedies. BlackBerry is primarily concerned with the clashes between the three poorly-matched central characters who are continually at odds with each other, and the movie undeniably soars thanks to the excellent casting. Outside of the leads, BlackBerry has further assets in veteran actors like Cary Elwes, Michael Ironside and Saul Rubinek who are sensational in their respective roles.
Despite being produced for a scant $5 million sum, BlackBerry never feels like a cheap television movie or even like a made-for-streaming affair. Instead, it feels cinematic and theatrical all the way through; the cinematography radiates immediacy and gravitas while the pulsing score drives the proceedings, ensuring that the picture is never boring or humdrum. Eclectic soundtrack choices provide the movie with more flavour, including songs from Joy Division, Moby and The Kinks. Furthermore, the era-specific recreations throughout BlackBerry are dead-on, with Research in Motion's original offices looking drab and dingy with a distinct appreciation for nerdiness as opposed to the flashy product of a Hollywood production designer. (Even when the company moves into a bigger office space, the walls remain adorned with film posters and the workers still engage in film nights.)
A story of genius and hubris, BlackBerry succeeds because it's all about great screenwriting, captivating acting and top-notch filmmaking in every respect. It's also a rare movie for adults that respects its audience. It's a bold move to produce something like this in 2023 for the theatrical market with multiplexes mostly full of expensive blockbusters, and the movie deserves to find a wider audience.
8.8/10
