BlackBerry emphasizes the humans behind the rise and fall of the once iconic phone rather than focusing on the invention at its center. This tech tale walks a fine line between comedy and drama in its retelling of the boom of the smartphone. For audiences that remember just how popular the BlackBerry was at the height of its run, the film is a fun stroll down memory lane with 2000s nostalgia. 

Matt Johnson’s BlackBerry was always going to have an immediate advantage over other films about the founding of iconic products; while behind the iPhone, audiences know Steve Jobs or behind Microsoft, audiences know Bill Gates, whereas behind the BlackBerry, most audiences don’t know the man behind the invention. BlackBerry and the actors portraying the phone’s creators were given a blank canvas to portray the BlackBerry’s founders without audiences having any preconceived notion of what they were watching. The film is an adaptation of the book ‘Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry’ and is more than your average rise-and-fall cautionary tale. 

The film begins with a clip of Arthur C. Clarke, co-writer of 2001: A Space Odyssey, predicting how technological breakthroughs would allow people to be in constant, immediate contact with each other and make physical connections irrelevant. While you could think this clip was setting the stage for the film to be about the negative impacts of technology, including instant text messaging popularized with BBMs, it’s not exactly where BlackBerry is taking audiences over its two-hour runtime. 

BlackBerry is not your by the numbers Wiki biographical drama of a company; the film is structured into three segments based on major shifts at the company, Research in Motion (RIM); 1992 (when businessman Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton) joined RIM), 2003 (when RIM turned into BlackBerry Limited, at the height of their market dominance), and 2007 (when Steve Jobs revealed a new phone that served as BlackBerry’s ultimate ender). While audiences, young and old, know firsthand the impact of the iPhone, there is still nothing quite as painful as watching the BlackBerry team see the unveiling of the iPhone. Nothing was the same after Jobs unveiled his plan to combine the touchscreen abilities of the iPod with a mobile phone. While BlackBerry was a dominate mobile phone player, with 45% of the market share at its height, 15 years later, another fruit named company claimed the majority of the US smartphone market and other companies never seemingly recovered. 

The film follows tech boy wonders Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and Doug Fregin (Matt Johnson). They’re pitching a new phone to a completely disinterested corporate man Balsillie. Watching the story in 2023, the idea the men are pitching seems simple and laughable as something ‘far out from reality’ of putting a computer in a pocket-sized device, but at the time, the idea seemed an impossibility to consumers and tech industry workers alike. Mike and Doug actually have the technology to make it work, but unfortunately, neither are equipped to lead meetings to get the funding or support needed to launch their phone. The duo meets Jim, who ends up joining RIM despite not having a tech background. Mike and Jim are able to get funding and the right providers and contacts to get their phone, the BlackBerry, produced. 

Both as director and co-writer, Johnson brings an edgy perspective to a story audiences could feel they already know. At times, the film feels perhaps like The Office while the story (and color palette) fee akin to The Social Network. However, the screenplay and pacing of the film never feel as if they’re following a Sorkin playbook. There’s a more primeval style to the manner in which the story unfolds. BlackBerry uses its structure and the audience’s unfamiliarity with the subject matter to its advantage; Johnson’s film thrives when it’s a narrative driven story focusing on mistakes made as people (and a business) on the rise. There is an abundance of film and TV covering the early technological boom, which disputably rose in popularity with David Fincher’s The Social Network. Since Fincher’s Oscar winning film, there’s been two films about Steve Jobs (only one good one), a (bad) series about the rise and eventual fall of WeWork, a documentary and Emmy winning series about soon to be in prison girlboss, Liz Holmes. Johnson differs his film from these other media entries focusing on a historical tech company by shooting almost in a documentary style with a multi cam set up. 

BlackBerry emphasizes the humans behind the rise and fall of the once iconic phone rather than focusing on the invention at its center. This tech tale walks a fine line between comedy and drama in its retelling of the boom of the smartphone.  For audiences that remember just how popular the BlackBerry was at the height of its run, the film is a fun stroll down memory lane with 2000s nostalgia. 

Grade: B+

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should be Considered: Best Supporting Actor (Glenn Howerton)

Release Date: May 12, 2023
Where to Watch: In Select Theaters

Kenzie Vanunu
she/her @kenzvanunu
Lives in LA with her husband, daughter and dog. Misses Arclight, loves iced vanilla coffees.
Favorite Director: Darren Aronofsky
Sign: Capricorn