#53: BLACKBERRY

 

Starring: Glenn Howerton, Jay Barcuchel, Matt Johnson, Rich Sommer, Michael Ironside, Cary Elwes. Written by Matt Johnson and Matthew Miller. Directed by Matt Johnson. Based on the book: Losing the Signal: The Untold ~Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of Blackberry by Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff. Budget $5 million. Running time 121 minutes.

Sadly not a great deal to write about this one. Featuring a great cast, an excellent and, at times, very funny script and detailing the incredible rise and demise of Blackberry the phone people bought before Apple. 

Can't fault it, can't make rye pithy comments and can only recommend. Featuring an utterly superb performance by Glenn Howerton, playing co-CEO of Blackberry Jim Balsillie, best known for his performance in the excellent Always Sunny in Philadelphia. He is ably supported by both Jay Barcuchel as tech genius, Mike Lazaridis and Matt Johnson as his best friend and co-founder, Douglas Fregin. Johnson also co-wrote and directed the film. The script is very funny and also very skilled and the technical gobbledygook is well handled as are the numerous boardroom shenanigans. Things kick up a gear when Micheal Ironside arrives to prove he's still the baddest badass in the badass kingdom. 

I find these films about the rise of some tech or financial wizard eminently watchable and this was no exception. Plus it has a brilliant soundtrack and any film that ends with Waterloo Sunset can't be bad. Set in the late 1990s I was shocked to discover that so much about back then was still tainted by the vileness of the 1980s, fashions in particular. The attention to period detail was fun and the cast brought real variety to the roles. I just thoroughly enjoyed this and knew I would almost from the get-go with two truly cringey business pitches that trigger the whole all-too believable story.

Catch it if you can, although it's already ended it 'wide' cinematic release, so most definitely check it out on whatever streaming service it ends up on, it's a pacy, pithy, and phunny film! 

9/10