BlackBerry (film)

BlackBerry is a 2023 Canadian biographical comedy-drama film directed by Matt Johnson, who co-wrote the screenplay with Matthew Miller. The film chronicles the rise and fall of the BlackBerry smartphone, focusing on the key figures at Research In Motion (RIM), the company behind the device.

The film stars Jay Baruchel as Mike Lazaridis, the co-founder and chief technical officer of RIM, and Glenn Howerton as Jim Balsillie, who becomes the aggressive and business-savvy co-CEO. Matt Johnson portrays Doug Fregin, Lazaridis's best friend and early RIM employee. The film explores the unconventional and often chaotic environment at RIM as they navigate the competitive mobile technology market, eventually achieving phenomenal success before succumbing to the innovations of their rivals, particularly Apple's iPhone.

The plot follows the evolution of the BlackBerry from a pager-like device to a revolutionary smartphone, highlighting the technological challenges, the corporate power struggles, and the personalities that shaped its trajectory. The film balances comedic elements with dramatic tension, portraying both the brilliance and the hubris that characterized the BlackBerry's reign. The film received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the performances, direction, and its depiction of the tech industry in the late 1990s and early 2000s.