‘BlackBerry’ subverts movie clichés about brands and technology with sincere mockery; g1 already seen

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Film that tells the story of the rise and fall of the precursors of smartphones premieres this Thursday (12) in Brazilian cinemas. “BlackBerry” could be just another 2023 film about an iconic product (“Tetris”, “Air: The Story Behind the Logo”, “Barbie”) or another behind-the-scenes work on the technology industry (“The Network social”, “Steve Jobs”). Luckily, the production that premieres in Brazilian cinemas this Thursday (12) stands out – or at least differentiates itself – from the others thanks to the constant air of mockery of someone who never takes themselves too seriously. Yes, the story of the rise and fall of smartphone precursor devices, whose manufacturer was responsible for 45% of the market in the United States, is incredible in itself, but it could easily fall into the traps and clichés of these subgenres. There are moments when it flirts too much with braggadocio, such as with the bizarre choices of wigs and the unconvincing baldness of the protagonists. However, it soon becomes clear that nothing is as ridiculous as – capitalism? – the reality. Watch the trailer for ‘BlackBerry’ The genius and the shark To tell the glory and ruin of the devices with keyboards that made the lives of many people hell in the early 2000s, the film contrasts the two executive presidents of the manufacturer, the Canadian Research in Motion (RIM). On one side, genius inventor and misfit Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel). On the other, the unscrupulous Wall Street shark executive Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton). Both figures explored to exhaustion by Hollywood, but presented in a half-sinister, half-absurd symbiosis that in a short time becomes something almost entirely new – one cannot exist without the other, and success would never be possible without the partnership. Jay Baruchel and Matt Johnson in a scene from ‘BlackBerry’ Disclosure It’s better to be ridiculous on purpose Baruchel (actor best known as the voice of the protagonist of “How to Train Your Dragon”) manages to disappear into the role and Howerton in a way repeats psychopathy with a constant danger just below the surface that has practiced for years in “It’s sunny in Philadelphia”. The heart of the story lies with the co-founder of RIM, Doug Fregin, played by the film’s director/writer, Matt Johnson (a comedian perhaps best known, but not well, for the comedy series “Nirvanna the band the show”). None of the three shine, but that’s not the idea. The great merit of the script, written by Matthew Miller (Johnson’s long-time creative partner), is knowing that the big star is the story. At times, you would even think that “BlackBerry” was a parody – if it weren’t for the real plot. In others, the rhythm drops to something similar to the best teenage works of the 1980s, no matter how much time passes in the following decades. In doing so, he avoids some of the pitfalls of exaggerated self-exaltation of some of his predecessors – which make them increasingly ridiculous as the years go by.

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