From the moment I heard about Blackberry, I wanted to see it. I’m a huge fan of Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and this film was the first opportunity to see Glenn Howerton in a big leading role. I was not disappointed. He brought a mix of that famous psychotic Dennis Reynolds energy with a fresh coat of 90s business prick, and it paired perfectly with Jay Baruchel’s mumbling tech CEO slowly morphing into a shadow of Steve Jobs.
Blackberry at its core made me feel old. It must be a right of passage to see a tech biopic about something that was shiny and new in my youth, but it still hurts. The film leans firmly into the idea that there will be teens scratching their heads and saying: ‘There was something before iPhones?’ Somehow, Blackberry managed to make me feel invested in the success of a product I knew would be firmly eclipsed by the time the film got to 2007. The pace was measured but continuously built tension towards a magnificent fall from grace.
Personally, I’m a fan of movies where a rich person makes shady decisions, sees success, and then, spoilers, ultimately gets their comeuppance. Usually, I have to find a movie about a crime lord or a drug dealer to sate that urge (Blow, Scarface, Wolf of Wallstreet), but Blackberry is a rare tech scumbag story (I’m sure we’re about to have a lot more of those). I had no idea about the corruption that went on behind the scenes at the mobile phone maker, and I came away learning something about a tech phenomenon I had almost completely forgotten about.
Buoying the chaotic nature of the film is an incredible soundtrack that keeps tensions high and hits exactly the right nostalgic notes for 90s tech. The film’s atmosphere is a clear, concise image of everything I remember thinking adults were doing when they went to ‘business’ when I was a kid. I would absolutely recommend you check out Blackberry. If you were around during the 90s, I double recommend it, if not, learn your history. It’s a bizarre tech story carried by strong performances throughout and hits hard with nostalgia for a time when smartphones weren’t ubiquitous.
4/5 Stars – Would Recommend
Ashton Macaulay 