BlackBerry
BlackBerry

BlackBerry

2023Movie120 minEnglish

Two mismatched entrepreneurs – egghead innovator Mike Lazaridis and cut-throat businessman Jim Balsillie – joined forces in an endeavour that was to become a worldwide hit in little more than a decade. The story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone.

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Insights

IMDb6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes86%
Metacritic70/100
Google Users84%
Director: Matt JohnsonGenres: Biography, Comedy-Drama, History

Plot Summary

The film chronicles the meteoric rise and catastrophic fall of the world's first smartphone, the BlackBerry. It delves into the cutthroat business world of the early 2000s, showcasing the intense competition and rapid innovation that defined the era. The story follows the ambitious tech company Research In Motion (RIM) as they scramble to maintain their dominance against emerging rivals.

Critical Reception

BlackBerry was met with widespread critical acclaim, lauded for its sharp writing, strong performances, and insightful portrayal of a pivotal moment in tech history. Critics praised its blend of humor and drama, capturing the chaotic energy of the early smartphone wars.

What Reviewers Say

  • A darkly comedic and insightful look at the rise and fall of a tech giant.
  • Features standout performances, particularly from Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton.
  • Effectively captures the cutthroat nature of the business world and the speed of technological change.

Google audience: Audience reviews generally praise the film for its humor, engaging story, and compelling performances. Many appreciated the nostalgic look back at the early days of mobile technology and the relatable characters.

Fun Fact

The film was shot in Toronto, Canada, and many of the set designs and props were carefully curated to reflect the early 2000s technological aesthetic.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

8 reviews
r96sk

r96sk

Thoroughly fascinating to watch this unfold. <em>'BlackBerry'</em> reminded me a lot of fellow 2023 flick <em>'Air'</em>, two movies that were in fact released within months of each other interestingly. Both are great watches, with this ...
rsanek

rsanek

The downfall part is a bit sudden as compared to the first 2/3 of the film, but still a very fun watch.
Brent Marchant

Brent Marchant

With the release of such innovative communications products as the Apple and Android smartphones, questions began to circulate about the future viability of onetime market leader BlackBerry, a line of devices that subsequently went into rap...
badelf

badelf

In one sense, this is a comedic action film. In another sense, it's a biopic of a lying, cheating, ruthless, tech businessman of a slightly less rank than Bezos, Zuckerberg and the "Don't be Evil" Page/Brin team. Overall, it's brilliantl...
MarciaClarke

MarciaClarke

I kept hearing people say this movie was actually not bad for a movie about BalckBerry, and you know what, they were right! Glenn Howerton plays an incredibly entertaining psycho as always. Jay Baruchel does the befuddled muppet thing with ...
kisaligol

kisaligol

The script seems to be written mostly from the perspective of Jim Balsillie, a businessman that was co-CEO of Blackberry, while engineers take a backseat. This follows the general tendency in film to glorify businessmen, treating the people...
Louisa Moore - Screen Zealots

Louisa Moore - S...

“Blackberry” is a film about the failure and spectacular collapse of the world’s first smart phone. Adapting Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff’s book “Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of B...
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

Matt Johnson's rather John McEnroe-esque "Doug" rather stole this tale of what was literally a tech-tonic shift in how we used our mobile phones. He, together with his boss Mike (Jay Baruchel), has been working with a small team of geeks to...