Writer/Director: Matt Johnson
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson
‘Brilliant Business Biopic’
Few smartphones have fallen out of popularity like the BlackBerry. Dating back to its 1999 introduction, the BlackBerry appeared to be a social network destined appreciation. As gigantic as the green light guiding the great Gatsby, it signified hope for the tech industry. Designed by engineers with a beautiful mind, it left a legacy behind. A treat for wolfish stockbrokers on Wall Street, there were no signs it would become obsolete. Analysts forecasted the phone’s success rather than downfall by a margin call. Despite shining bright, the product eventually faded from the spotlight. In 2007, Apple’s iPhone did its jobs leading the product to face obscurity. Guided by Steve Jobs, it forced competitors to leave. As the iPhone’s sales hit a high, it caused customers to bid goodbye to a device nobody wanted to buy. On a personal level, I saw the phone’s impact on people. I learnt of the phone’s value when I moved to Waterloo. I learnt about the BlackBerry from a friend whose father worked for the company. In the pursuit of happiness, he boasted about how his father worked for BlackBerry’s business. However, our bond became up in the air when the product became rare. His interest in friends began to fade when his father got laid off from the job. The sad fact is that a phone caused me to lose contact with a companion I used to attract. Wisdom I imparted is to never take phones for granted which can leave friendships affected. Given its massive effect, I wonder why the innovation lost respect. Why did the BlackBerry lose popularity?
Now, Matt Johnson characterizes the smartphone’s devastating declines in “BlackBerry”. Ambitious, enlightening and gripping, it demonstrates factors that contributed towards unexpected downfall of an innovation which was highly regarded. Johnson commemorates a smartphone’s legacy. Boasting awe-inspiring production-design, engrossing storytelling and phenomenal performances, it’s extraordinary. Although “BlackBerry” is breathtaking, it isn’t flawless. It lacks character development. Nevertheless, it offers exhilarating entertainment for the smartphone’s fanbase.
Amidst 1990’s Waterloo, “BlackBerry” follows entrepreneurs designing phones attracting revenue unaware they may face an issue. Jay Baruchel portrays Mike Lazaridis, RIM’s founder seeking smartphone recognition. When businessman Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton) markets products generating revenues without issues, Mike’s dreams come true. However, the iPhone’s introduction threatens his organization. Facing tension, Mike questions whether smartphones will survive cutthroat competition.
Matt Johnson is fascinated with competition. Following 2013’s “The Dirties”, Johnson has become a fantastic filmmaker. With “BlackBerry”, however, Johnson crafts a biopic. It’s Johnson’s attempts dramatizing a technological company’s downwards trajectory, but he succeeds. Using captivating cinematography, Johnson captures the competitive smartphone industry. Emulating Danny Boyle’s “Steve Jobs”, Johnson captures competition through footage. Like Steve Jobs’ product launch footage, BlackBerry’s employees express astonishment witnessing iPhone presentations. The filmmaker captures how competition did damage towards the company’s image through footage. Footage is tricky. Tom McCarthy’s “Spotlight” proved footage enhances movies about journalists shining spotlight on abuse hidden in plain sight. As John Lee Hancock’s “The Founder” demonstrated, footage elevates fast-food founders’ biographies. Nevertheless, it succeeds. Alongside cinematographer Jared Raab, Johnson honors BlackBerry. Johnson celebrates devices, crafting a film that demands to be seen in theaters.
If inventions don’t attract attention, however, there’s innumerable reasons to see “BlackBerry”. From a technical point-of-view, it’s as well-made as BlackBerry’s phones designed in Waterloo. Assisted by set-designer Adam Belanger, Johnson showcases partnerships through symbolism. For instance, phones symbolize partnerships in the crisis scene. During this scene, Jim breaks telephones he uses to scold partners over BlackBerry’s future. One acknowledges symbolism representing partnerships recalling David Fincher’s “The Social Network”. Like Mark Zuckerberg’s arguments with Eduardo, Jim berates his partner when BlackBerry faces a low. Symbolism is tricky. As Baz Luhrmann’s “The Great Gatsby” suggested, symbolism elevates adaptations. Nevertheless, it succeeds. Furthermore, Jay McCarrol’s music is marvelous. Emulating Martin Scorsese’s “The Wolf of Wall Street”, it manufactures Wall Street energy. Through production-design, Johnson commemorates BlackBerry.
Another extraordinary “BlackBerry” aspect is the screenplay. Johnson’s screenwriting strength is capturing smartphone organization deteriorations through foreshadowing. In Hollywood, movies rarely address competition impacting company success. As a case-in-point, Joshua Michael Stern’s “Jobs” portrayed Apple as an organization doing jobs without worrying about rivalry. Fortunately, however, “BlackBerry” avoids genre pitfalls. Johnson seeks to address competition affecting BlackBerry’s success. Emulating Ron Howard’s “A Beautiful Mind”, Johnson captures engineers ignoring signs products have declined through foreshadowing. Like John Nash’s ignorance of disorders, BlackBerry’s founders ignored defective products. Johnson captures how the company’s ignorance of clear signs its phones were malfunctioning led towards its declines. Foreshadowing is complicated. When movies hint danger that lies ahead, it cultivates little surprise. J.C. Chandor’s “Margin Call” proved foreshadowing elevates dramas about investors predicting economic downfall through a margin call. As Adam McKay’s “The Big Short” demonstrated, foreshadowing elevates docudramas about financial catastrophes. Nevertheless, it succeeds. Through thought-provoking storytelling, Johnson celebrates smartphones.
One appreciates astonishing performances.
Jay Baruchel delivers his greatest performance as Mike Lazaridis. Baruchel steps out of comedic comfort zones to personify serious-minded founders of well-known smartphones. It’s challenging portraying a real-life entrepreneur paving way for smartphones today, but Baruchel succeeds. Evoking Benedict Cumberbatch in Morten Tyldum’s “The Imitation Game”, Baruchel personifies a businessman accomplishing fame for an imitation game. Through mesmerizing expressions, he captures an entrepreneur’s ambitions, desperation and perseverance. It’s a career-crowning performance from an underrated comedic actor.
Glenn Howerton steals the show as a CEO with ego saving companies from a high-pressure scenario. As Jim Balsillie, Howerton embodies a founder intimidating employees through formidable voice. Evoking Michael Douglas in Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street”, Howerton crafts a street-smart businessman making ends meet on Wall Street. Whether he’s throwing temper tantrums or pitching products, Howerton demonstrates a CEO’s authority. It’s an unforgettable performance.
Finally, “BlackBerry” earns appreciation of everyone seeking pursuit of happiness in business. Evoking Gabriele Muccino’s “The Pursuit of Happyness”, it captures business sacrifice. It tackles themes of competition, friendship and success. Viewers don’t need to own BlackBerrys to enjoy it. Despite capturing a smartphone company, its themes transcend boundaries. As someone struggling with competition, I identified with it. Consequently, everyone will appreciate “BlackBerry”.
Despite its universal message, however, “BlackBerry” designs products that pale in comparison to phones crafted by entrepreneurs with detail. Unlike the book’s depiction of entrepreneurs’ personalities, the film emphasizes workplace duties. Whereas this approach elevated Jason Reitman’s “Up in the Air”, it clashes with this film. It’s hard to relate with successful entrepreneurs we barely know on a personal level. For instance, we’re barely given reasons to care about Mike beyond the fact he’s a millionaire. In successful biopics characters are relatable. As James Mangold’s “Ford V. Ferrari” suggested, biographies succeed when viewers are invested in engineers that are celebrated. Therefore, “BlackBerry” falters.
Nevertheless, the smartphone’s fans will enjoy “BlackBerry” and so will viewers acknowledging educational entertainment. A breathtaking business biopic, it celebrates a one-of-a-kind device designed by engineers with a beautiful mind that declined. Nearly 15 years after competition caused BlackBerry’s breathtaking phones infrequently accomplishing recognition to lose prosperity, it’s a taut tribute to technology as delicious as blackberries that unexpectedly got annihilated by rivalrous companies manufacturing groundbreaking methodology in an institutionalization industry.
Like the captivating iPhones manufactured by Steve Jobs that performed their jobs effectively, it’s a cautionary reminder of how competitive rivalries contributed toward a smartphone’s downfalls by threatening its groundbreaking technologies.
A devastating depiction of how deadly competitions destroy friendships in social networks corporations, it’s a depressing reminder of how entrepreneurs made painful decisions abandoning lifelong friends causing disintegration of organizations.
As a bright light shining in pitch-black darkness, hopefully it will create awareness for the impact that the smartphone had on the world motivating individuals emotionally affected by a business’ tragic terminations to look for pursuit of happiness.
During a time when BlackBerry is in danger, it’s a dazzling reminder of a device which has motivated me to recover years after separating with a companion whose larger-than-life memory disappearing like faded smartphones I’ll unquestionably treasure.
4.5/5 stars
The Film Buff 
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