Movie · 2023 · Comedy, Drama, History · 2h · R · English
Curator score: 8.6/10 (68K ratings)
Work hard. Fail hard.
Overview
Two mismatched entrepreneurs – egghead innovator Mike Lazaridis and cut-throat businessman Jim Balsillie – joined forces in an endeavour that was to become a worldwide hit in little more than a decade. The story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world's first smartphone.
Ratings
Curator score: 8.6/10
IMDb: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
Metacritic: 78
TMDB: 7.1/10
Director
Matt Johnson
Production
Zapruder Films, Rhombus Media, XYZ Films, IPR.VC, Canada Media Fund | Fonds des médias du Canada
Cast
Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson, Saul Rubinek, Cary Elwes, Rich Sommer, Michael Ironside, Martin Donovan, Michelle Giroux, SungWon Cho, Mark Critch, Kelly Van der Burg, Gregory Ambrose Calderone, Laura Cilevitz, James Elliot Miniou, Fuad Musayev, Ethan Eng, Michael Scott, Steve Hamelin, Pranay Noel
Where to watch
Netflix, AMC+, Philo, Sundance Now, Netflix Standard with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, funny rise-and-fall corporate drama that turns tech history into a tense buddy-bromance tragedy. It’s especially rewarding if you like fast dialogue, escalating ego clashes, and business stories with a satirical edge.
Best for
Viewers who liked The Social Network-style corporate warfare
Fans of dark comedies about ambition and incompetence
People interested in early-2000s tech nostalgia
Audiences who enjoy prickly, high-energy performances
Skip if
You want a strictly factual, sober biopic
You dislike abrasive characters and constant verbal sparring
You prefer understated, low-stakes storytelling
You’re not interested in business or tech industry drama
Overview
BlackBerry is the rare tech rise-and-fall movie that feels both hilarious and genuinely tragic. It treats the invention of a world-changing device as a messy human story: brilliant ideas, bad instincts, ego, panic, and the slow realization that momentum can outrun competence.
Worth noting
Matt Johnson keeps the pace brisk and the tone nimble, but the film never loses sight of the sadness underneath the jokes. The performances give it bite, especially in the contrast between awkward invention and ruthless commercialization. It plays like a corporate disaster movie with the energy of a hangout comedy.
Bottom line
What makes it work is how specific it feels without becoming dry. The movie understands that innovation is often less about genius than about timing, persuasion, and who can dominate the room. By the end, it lands as both a cautionary tale and a very entertaining autopsy of a vanished era.
Top Letterboxd reviews
jeffborislow (4★) · 14301 likes
My mom said this was the saddest movie she has ever seen because she had a BlackBerry that she liked in 2006. I know for a fact she has seen Schindler’s List
BrandonLikes (3.5★) · 9130 likes
BEGONE, VILE EXECUTIVE! BEGONE FROM ME! A STARTER PHONE? THIS PHONE IS A FINISHER PHONE! A TRANSPORTER OF EMAILS! THE ENCRYPTED EMAILS! MY PHONE IS UNTETHERED, AND MY INTERNET USAGE KNOWS NO BOUNDS!
ProZD (5★) · 7467 likes
that guy who played ritchie is truly phenomenal, they should cast him in one billion more movies
Jay (4★) · 5730 likes
D - Demonstrate value
E - Engage financially
N - Nurturing dependence
N - Neglect emotionally
I - Ice hockey team acquisition
S - Separate entirely
laurenandrews (5★) · 5012 likes
I’m from Waterloooooo
Where the vampires hang out 💅🏻
2013 · Crime, Drama, Comedy · 3h · R · Curator 7.9/10 (5.7M ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, AMC+, Philo, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
If the appeal is manic escalation and moral collapse, this delivers the same intoxicating rise-and-crash rhythm.