Movie Review: BlackBerry (2023)

Genre: Biographical Dramedy  

Director: Matt Johnson  

Starring: Jay Baruchel, Glenn Howerton, Matt Johnson  

Running Time: 121 minutes  

Synopsis: It's 1996 in Waterloo, Ontario, and Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin (Jay Baruchel and director Matt Johnson) are the scrappy co-founders of ramshackle modem company Research In Motion (RIM). Mike is a brilliant electronics inventor with an idea to combine the pager, phone, and email into a single hand-held device, and Doug is the energetic employee booster, but they are both hapless at business. After some hesitation, they bring in Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton) as co-CEO. He is ambitious, cut-throat, and gets things done. Mike's innovation and Jim's drive make the Blackberry the must-have business device of the mid 2000s, but RIM's runaway success is soon threatened. 

What Works Well: With a blend of human drama and madcap comedy, this business story tracks the rise and fall of an iconic device through themes of culture clash (sharp business suits and BMWs versus geekery), fake-it-until-you-make-it (the power of a prop), loss of focus (the pursuit of an NHL franchise), and hubris (failure to appreciate the iPhone's threat). As director, Matt Johnson keeps the drama galloping across a decade of events, always with an eye for the small but telling detail, most poignantly Mike's aversion to electronic products assembled in China. And as an actor alongside Jay Baruchel and Glenn Howerton, Johnson completes a memorably contrasting trio of sharply-drawn characters.

What Does Not Work As Well: Outside of work and Jim's obsession with hockey, none of the three men appear to have a private life, partners, or interests.

Key Quote:

Jim: Mike, are you familiar with the saying "Perfect is the enemy of good?"

Mike: Well, "Good Enough" is the enemy of humanity.

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The Movies Of Jay Baruchel

All movies starring Jay Baruchel and reviewed on the Ace Black Movie Blog are linked below:

Almost Famous (2000)

Million Dollar Baby (2004)

Knocked Up (2007)

Tropic Thunder (2008)

Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist (2008)

Fanboys (2009)

She's Out Of My League (2010)

BlackBerry (2023)

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Movie Review: She's Out Of My League (2010)

A brash attempt at combining the overt boorishness of gross-out farces with the more dainty elements of romantic comedies fails on all counts. She's Out Of My League is rarely funny, never romantic, and always aggravating.

Twentysomething Kirk (Jay Baruchel) and his buddies work at a Pittsburgh Airport security screening station. Kirk is geeky, angular, and has been comprehensively dumped by Marnie (Lindsay Sloane). In fact, Kirk is such a doormat that Marnie and her new boyfriend Roy are good friends with Kirk's parents, and rub their relationship in Kirk's face at every opportunity in his own home.

Molly (Alice Eve) is a stunning blonde with supermodel looks. She catches Kirk's eye as she passes through airport security, and because she is bored with good looking but plastic guys, he also catches her attention. They start a relationship, despite the attempted intervention of Molly's former boyfriend Cam (Geoff Stults) and the suddenly insanely jealous Marnie. But the biggest hurdle that Kirk needs to overcome is gaining belief that a dolt like him is worthy of a gorgeous girlfriend.

The humour in She's Out Of My League is crass and predictable, the romance uneven and never the least bit believable. Jay Baruchel may have some comic talent but it is not yet sufficiently developed to save a limp script. Alice Eve does not even try to find any meaning in a dream doll role that only exists in the imagination of unimaginative screenwriters. The supporting cast works hard to ensure obscurity by mimicking overly familiar characters from numerous better movies, while Kirk's white trash family seal the deal on eliminating all potential for clever or understated humour.

This is the first feature length film directed by Britain's Jim Field Smith, and unless he quickly graduates to better material, it could also be among his last. Molly may be several leagues above Kirk, but this cast and crew are also several leagues below the level required for good movie making.

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