BlackBerry - Still 3
Preston Barta // Features Editor
BLACKBERRY
Not rated, 122 min.
Director: Matt Johnson
Cast: Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson, Rich Sommer, Martin Donovan, Saul Rubinek, Cary Elwes and Michael Ironside
There’s just something about this new wave of true-story movies that get injected with a freewheeling filmmaking style that allows viewers to laugh as much as they get thunderstruck by the truth (or something close to it).
Adam McKay made a string of projects (The Big Short and Vice) that utilize a long-lens approach, making it appear as if you’ve stumbled across content you shouldn’t be seeing. It’s like watching The Office without all the fireside chats. You’ll see human responses to absurd situations, and you can’t believe it happened. (Look out for the freeze frame moments where text appears to reveal “this is 100% true.”)
Matt Johnson’s drop-dead-funny BlackBerry doesn’t hang up on its potential to matter. By adopting this aforementioned filmmaking technique (or stealing it, according to Johnson’s hilarious post-premiere Q&A at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on Mar. 13), you’ll hop aboard a left-field bolt through the wild rise-and-fall story of the world’s first smartphone.
With a brilliant ensemble cast firing on all cylinders, BlackBerry doesn’t run with the same dramatic feet as The Social Network or Steve Jobs. Of course, there are parallels here and there, especially during the final moments, producing an effect similar to Mark Zuckerberg refreshing a Facebook friend request. Still, Johnson’s work definitely marches to a different, more comedic beat. It completely embraces the insanity of its story without winking too hard.
We watch as Mike Lazaridis (an excellent Jay Baruchel) and Jim Balsillie (a firecracker and unrecognizable Glenn Howerton), the former co-CEOs of the Canadian firm Research in Motion, face and conquer incredible odds, sometimes by the seat of their pants. Without their brilliance (or devil horns), you probably wouldn’t have the iPhone you’re reading this review on in your hands. The BlackBerry chapter in the history books was an incredible stepping stone in human connection. Some people were figuratively stabbed in the back like something penned by Shakespeare. It’s a tragedy, but one that you cannot take your eyes off of.
One of those reasons why very much has to deal with what Howerton brings to the film. He gives the kind of fierce performance that would strike fear in Satan. Complete with a semi-bald head and an appetite to crush everyone like Ari Gold, Howerton’s Balsillie is not someone to mess with despite his goofy-sounding name. He’ll lie, cheat and steal his way toward success, and the fires he sets on the BlackBerry crew are captivating and what ignites the thrill of the movie.
With an appearance that looks like he walked right off the Beastie Boys’ anthology album “The Sounds of Science,” Baruchel gives an impressive performance as Lazaridis. While his shiny white hair may say one thing, Lazaridis is not a showy role. Instead, he’s a compelling one that Baruchel finds great small things to do with – like Lazaridis’s perfectionism (best illustrated in a scene where he becomes fixated on a gadget’s constant buzzing sound) and how he sidesteps plans to carve his own path (as seen in a sequence negotiating Balsillie’s pay at the company).
And the role that really racks up the laughs is Johnson himself. As Lazaridis’s best friend and creative partner, Doug, he has a highly functioning BS meter and isn’t afraid to read it aloud, especially around Balsillie. Rather than smash laptops over desks and slap you with his f-you flip-flops like Andrew Garfield’s Eduardo Saverin, Johnson’s Doug allows his words and restrained behavior to build the ultimate blow. He’s a Falstaff type who delivers some of the film’s most quotable lines.
BlackBerry is a juicy and acidic dramedy that sustains its electric fever until the end. Thanks to its memorable performances, sharp script and clever editing, you’ll enjoy every minute of its excellence.
Grade: B+
BlackBerry held its North American premiere at the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on Mar. 13. IFC Films will release the film exclusively in theaters on May 12. Watch the official trailer below!
