FilmSnobReviews

Title: BlackBerry
MPA Rating: R
Director: Matt Johnson
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson
Runtime: 2 hrs

What It Is: Young tech genius Mike (Baruchel) and his company Research in Motion (RIM) have an idea. A phone that’s more than a phone. A phone that does more than make phone calls. It is this idea that draws the newly fired Jim (Howerton) to the business. Now with Jim as CEO RIM continues to try and build what would become the world’s first and best phone with email on it…BlackBerry. A device that would change the world as we know it. Before of course, it changed again by a Cupertino, CA based tech company.

What We Think: What a tremendous effort. Jay Baruchel is brilliant here. It’s his best performance probably ever. He plays Mike with such a pulse. It’s actually extraordinary. He seems so mild-mannered in the beginning and watching the characters evolution was exactly what I wanted. Director Matt Johnson alongside fellow writers Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff take the book origins of this script and really shape it into something special. Glenn Howerton is giving it his all with his performance here. Yelling, ranting and raving all over the place. It’s a performance that in the wrong hands could seem hammy but the comedy alum nails it. Matt Johnson’s man-child Doug is also giving it his all. The dialogue felt true to the tech roots and had some good comedy in it.

Our Grade: A-, I’m a tech guy, a phone guy. I saw the rise and fall of this story from a different perspective. What was put on the screen here was revelatory. It’s a film that takes very obvious liberties with the real story. That doesn’t really matter. What we get is a story of ambition, ambition turning to madness. That madness driving some to take shortcuts whether they what to or not. This is a gigantic recommendation from me. A wonderful film that is expertly paced. Brilliant stuff.