Blackberry – Film Review

Director – Matt Johnson
Writers – Jacquie McNish, Sean Silcoff, Matt Johnson
Stars – Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson

If you’re of a certain age, you probably remember the Blackberry phone. It was one of the most sought-after tech devices of its time, an iPhone for the late 90s and early 2000s. You couldn’t be taken seriously as a businessman without one! This is the story of the rise of the Blackberry and the people involved in its development. We meet our unlikely heroes Mike (Jay Baruchel) and Doug (Matt Johnson), a couple of uber-nerds, as they are about to give a demonstration of their new device to Jim (Glenn Howerton). While the presentation is nothing short of a disaster, a series of unfortunate events make the collaboration between these three individuals possible.

This film is billed as a biographical comedy-drama, so if you’re looking for a realistic account of the events, it’s not here. Douglas Fregin and Mike Lazaridis are depicted as well-meaning nerds, smart but lacking any business acumen. They, along with the rest of the engineers on their team. spend their time playing Doom on networked PCs and having film nights where they watch Indiana Jones. They meet a businessman and investor Jim Balsillie, who happens to be in the right place at the right time. Without any real tech background, Jim sees enough of a spark in their invention and thinks he can sell it to the world.

While mainly played like a drama, there are characters and scenes that feel just a touch over the top. The film seems to have taken its inspiration for the 90s from Beastie Boys music videos and several sit-coms of the era. Doug is played by writer/ director Matt Johnson. He wears an orange headband for the duration of the movie, along with a variety of quirky T-shirts. Despite the company going to the very top, he never changes his look. Mike (Jay Baruchel) is the more serious of the two and is willing to do what it takes to bring his product to the world. His collaboration with Jim (Glenn Howerton) is something of a Faustian pact. With a duration of just about 2 hours, the plot feels a little stretched towards the end. It could have done with some editing to reduce the run time but overall it is a sharp and enjoyable depiction of a real-life victory of the nerds!