BlackBerry (2023)

BlackBerry turns a corporate origin story into a breathless, darkly funny ride, shot with the scrappy urgency of a startup that knows it’s running out of runway. Matt Johnson directs with a crackling sense of momentum, letting the comedy land without undercutting the real stakes, while Jay Baruchel’s anxious-genius sincerity and Glenn Howerton’s ferociously magnetic intensity make the central partnership feel like a rocket strapped to a powder keg. The writing keeps the tech talk accessible and the vibe electric—part workplace satire, part cautionary drama—so even if you don’t care about smartphones, you’ll care about the people building (and breaking) the dream. It is very much rated R in its language and attitude, but if you can handle the profanity, it’s one of the most entertaining modern business films in years.

BlackBerry is trying to turn a nerdy Canadian tech saga into a fast, funny cautionary tale about ambition, ego, and timing, and it mostly succeeds on sheer momentum. The problem is it crams a lot of corporate history into a tight runtime, so major shifts can feel like they happen because the script says so, not because you’ve lived them with the characters. If you’re not already intrigued by business strategy, engineering jargon, and “how the sausage gets made” boardroom chaos, parts may feel more informative than emotionally gripping. Still, Jay Baruchel and especially Glenn Howerton bring sharp energy, and the film’s scrappy, anxious vibe makes it an engaging ride—as long as you’re not expecting a deep character study or a comprehensive tech-history epic.