BlackBerry

The phone was nicknamed "Crackberry" - due to its addictive quality ... (an omen of the future of smartphones). Here, people loved the clicking of the mini keyboard and the blinking "new messages" light. It was the rage of Wall Street, Fortune 500 companies government leaders and had dedicated fans ranging from Obama to Katy Perry to Kim Kardashian.

It was with this fascination that I watched "Blackberry". I wanted to know how did all of this get started and by whom? Well, the movie didn't disappoint - I'd have never guessed the people behind it and wild ride they had.

The story is brisk and the characters have radically different personalities. The latter made it interesting given that they all thrown together in an increasingly high-pressure environment. My favorite character was the comic-sidekick Doug Fregin (cofounder) - he reminds me of Jonah Hill. It also turns out that he's the co-writer and director of the film itself.

One thing I didn't immediately recognize was that the tech wiz / boy-wonder (Mike Lazaridis) was played by Jay Baruchel. He was the voice behind the lead character in How to Train Your Dragon. It was perfect casting.

Blackberry is definitely worth a watch if the subject matter interests you. It's yet another movie demonstrating that real-life events can be just as captivating as pure fiction itself. It joins the ranks of other great tech stories inspired by true events: The Dropout (Theranos / Elizabeth Holmes), We Crashed (WeWork), Super Pumped (Uber), and Tetris (the game).

Greetings again from the darkness. There aren't too many companies who have reached the pinnacle of their industry, only to later flop due to lack of innovation or a stubborn insistence on holding on to the past. Tremendous success and absolute failure are not typically associated with the same company. Blockbuster Video and Pan Am Airlines come to mind as examples of industry leaders whose refusal to adapt, culminated with closure, and it's likely that Blackberry belongs in the category, at least as presented here by writer-director Matt Johnson and co-writer Matthew Miller, adapting the book by Jacquie McNish.

Socially awkward pals, Mike Lazaridis (played by Jay Baruchel) and Doug Fregin (played by the film's director Matt Johnson), co-founded Research in Motion (RIM). The film picks up in 1996 when Mike and Doug are making their first presentation of their breakthrough handheld data delivery-email machine, which they have named Pocket Link. These are two genius nerds with no concept of how the outside business worlds functions, and the executive to whom they are pitching is so distracted that his only feedback is, "You need a new name." In a fascinating twist, that same executive, Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton, "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia") ends up saving not just the new product, but also the company.

Balsillie presents himself as a fireball, take charge, full-steam-ahead kind of guy. It's quite a contrast to nerdy Mike and easy-going Doug. Mike is a quiet guy committed to perfection in his work, while Doug wrangles the tech developers with a culture of video games, movie night, and an overall fraternity environment. Balsillie's arrival as a vocal outrage expert and brash businessman changes everything, and he and Mike drive the newly named BlackBerry to levels not previously seen. We do get a humorous anecdote from a shirt stain (even though it's not a true story), and in fact, there is quite a bit of humor throughout.

We are informed that the film was "inspired by real people and real events", so some dramatic license is expected. Perhaps the best comparison is THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010), and while that film was more polished, I personally found this one more entertaining and accurate from a business sense. An excellent supporting cast includes Cary Elwes, Saul Rubinek, Michael Ironside, Martin Donovan, Rich Sommer, and SungWon Cho, and the film's real draw is the contrast between Jay Baruchel's mousy but brilliant Mike, and Glenn Howard's powerhouse portrayal of the egotistical Balsillie. Baruchel's scene where he reacts to the new iPhone is alone worth the price of admission.

At its peak, BlackBerry had 45% market share and had earned it's "CrackBerry" label in the business world. Apple's 2007 introduction of the iPhone not only rocked the BlackBerry company, it shook up the world. The Canada perspective is noted (RIM was based in Waterloo, Ontario), as is Mike's aversion to 'made in China', perhaps the ultimate reason for the fall. It's likely that BlackBerry has become a Case Study in Business Schools, although the fast-paced and pressure-packed world of tech continues to require a balance of decisions focused on current markets and never-ending innovation for the future.

Opens on May 12, 2023.

It's a dark comedy of sorts. Not fully dark, but well done all around. Casting was great, especially Glen Howerton as the maniac CEO. Plays the part well, couldn't help but laugh at certain scenes because he's just like angry Dennis from Always Sunny.

It's a cool story too, about the rise and epic fall of the CrackBerry. If you're a bit older you'll remember well when the iPhone came out and destroyed the entire industry. I didn't know some of the things that happen besides that, so learned something too.

Overall it's a fast paced, fun little ride. It's a little too long and there's some poor character acting from the "geek coders", that's overwrought, but doesn't really impact the overall film. I already recommended to my buddy. 6.7/10.

The rise and fall of Blackberry, the world's first smartphone, it's journey from initial conception, to funding, all the way through to its tragic collapse.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film, it's one I would suggest that has a universal appeal, one many will enjoy, fascinating to think this is where it all started, everything about our phones that we now take for granted.

What a fascinating story this is, I'm sure many of us had a blackberry back in the day, I certainly did, it was such a reliable device, it was a game changer, until iPhone that is.

It's an intriguing story, with several jaw dropping moments, including the way Jim made his initial impact, then went on and assembled such an incredible work force.

A few funny moments, and some very sad scenes too, sewing Mike desperately trying to put something together to compete with Apple was quite tragic, after doing all of the ground work, the tide literally turned overnight.

Glenn Howerton gives a show stealing performance as Jim, he's angry, he's short tempered, he wants things done yesterday, he's a high powered, highly motivated executive, dealing with a team who live life to the chill, what a strong performance, that scene where Jim realises that the game is up, fantastic.

The whole cast are excellent, Jay Baruchel and Matt Johnson were both great. Seeing Mike change over time, that was skilfully done.

I was surprised by how good this was.

8/10.

I really enjoyed this film even if it lacks veracity according to some viewers. I don't know what happened specifically as the new century began, but I do know that my friend Phil stopped using a pencil to take notes. Instead, out came the stylus and his Blackberry. They were everywhere and I felt like a neanderthal because I didn't have one. The portrayal of Nerd Central was quite funny and I got a kick out of their childish behavior. At first it was rather distracting. Then we got to see what amazing technicians they were. But they were eventually victimized by the lack of vision of their bosses. Also, money really talks and the competition is roiling around them the whole time and they aren't cognizant of some of it. This is a sleeper and well worth the time.