Before the iPhone was launched and irreversibly changed technology and society for ever, there was another smartphone that looked as though it would be permanently glued to people’s hands.
At its peak, there were 85 million BlackBerry subscribers around the world, and the company controlled 45 per cent of the handheld phone market.
Steve Jobs and Apple brought BlackBerry’s domination to a swift and absolute end. But, as Matt Johnson’s dark comedy biopic BlackBerry makes clear, those who ran BlackBerry were equally responsible for the company’s downfall.
Warning: this review contains spoilers
BlackBerry opens in 1996, when geeky inventors Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and Douglas Fregin (Matt Johnson) have a meeting with ruthless business executive Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton) about their new creation — a machine that’s both a cell phone and can send emails. Unfortunately for Mike and Douglas, they’re so nervous, clumsy, and out of their depth that their pitch goes terribly.
However, there’s no denying that their idea isn’t just great, but could change the face of the world. When Jim is fired later that day, he approaches Mike and Douglas with an offer that will lead him take charge of the business side of the company.
Douglas is dead set against his involvement. But, after a brief deliberation, Mike ultimately agrees, and the three of them soon go on to create a device that explodes in popularity.
However, to keep BlackBerry at the top of the industry, Jim enters into various shady business dealings that ultimately come back to haunt him and the company, especially once the iPhone is released.
BlackBerry manages to tell this intriguing and tragic story of greed vs creativity in a thoroughly gripping manner. It’s helped by a pair of fine performances from the two actors who represent both sides of this spectrum.
This doesn’t actually include Baruchel, though. There’s nothing wrong with his turn as the reticent and reserved Lazaridis. In fact, his low-key portrayal is exactly what the film requires, as the character finds himself torn between staying true to his artistic vision and making as much money as possible.
Instead, it’s Howerton and Johnson who play the most bombastic and attention-grabbing characters, and it’s their dynamic and conflict that makes BlackBerry so captivating to watch.
BLACKBERRY
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Howerton is a revelation as Balsillie. Anyone who has seen his cunning and aggressive performances as Dennis Reynolds during 16 seasons of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia will know just how intimidating and manipulative he can be on-screen. While Balsillie is less psychotic than Reynolds, he’s just as ruthless. The decision to make Howerton bald for the role enhances his performance rather than distracts, too, and helps him to bring a Wolf of Wall Street-style energy to the film.
Johnson, who also co-wrote the film with Matthew Miller, is hugely impressive as Douglas Fregin. While Balsillie is all about business and crushing his competitors, Fregin’s main focus is on maintaining team morale. To do this, Fregin insists on there being a movie night every week, no matter how busy work is, while he also repeatedly makes pop culture references and plays silly games with the rest of the team to make sure they’re happy.
But while that might make you believe that Balsillie is the villain of the film and Fregin is the hero, BlackBerry is all the more riveting because of how complex its characters are. So much so that you end up both loving and hating each of the characters in equal measure.
Sure, there are times when Balsillie's actions are deplorable, but he’s so successful and ambitious that you can’t help but be impressed. Meanwhile, Fregin’s naivety and insistence on being the nice guy becomes increasingly frustrating as BlackBerry becomes so huge.
Behind the camera, Johnson and Miller’s script is smartly crafted to make the film as entertaining and informative as possible, while Johnson’s direction is exemplary. BlackBerry will inevitably be compared with the likes of The Social Network and Steve Jobs, but his direction is much more documentary-like.
Johnson wants the audience to feel as if they are in the room with all of the characters as they make their monumental decisions. Thanks to the authentic performances and free-flowing script, you do, especially because the characters are so flawed and well rounded.
BlackBerry might not quite land its ambitious and prolonged ending, but despite its dialogue-heavy script about the mundane aspects of technology, viewers are always aware of exactly what’s happening. Which, as the story and the characters get more desperate and tragic, actually makes BlackBerry all the more poignant, even as it builds to its inevitable conclusion.
Blackberry is out now in UAE cinemas
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
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The%20specs
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
Traits of Chinese zodiac animals
Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
'HIJRAH%3A%20IN%20THE%20FOOTSTEPS%20OF%20THE%20PROPHET'
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History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
FIGHT INFO
Men’s 60kg Round 1:
Ahmad Shuja Jamal (AFG) beat Krisada Takhiankliang (THA) - points
Hyan Aljmyah (SYR) beat Akram Alyminee (YEM) - retired Round 1
Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) beat Bhanu Pratap Pandit (IND) - TKO Round 1
Men’s 71kg Round 1:
Seyed Kaveh Soleyman (IRI) beat Abedel Rahman (JOR) - RSC round 3.
Amine Al Moatassime (UAE) walk over Ritiz Puri (NEP)
BLACKBERRY
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