Remember BlackBerry? If you’re under the age of fourteen, why would you? Despite being one of the most popular names in the mobile tech industry, BlackBerry fell victim to the cold hands of Death (and Apple) years ago. Now, Hollywood bigwigs have decided a movie depicting the company’s meteoric rise to the top (and subsequent demise), is in order.
We’ve known about a BlackBerry movie for some time now. Today, however, we got a trailer for BlackBerry, which reminds the world that Jay Bucharel is still alive. He’s playing the role of Mike Lazaridis – joined by an almost unrecognizable Glenn Howerton, filling the shoes of Jim Balsillie, as the co-founders of Research in Motion. The project is being helmed by Matt Johnson, who also plays the role of Doug.
“We call them crackberrys”
Those hoping to see elements of David Fincher’s The Social Network here won’t be disappointed, though it lacks any of Fincher’s touches that made the Zuckerberg flick the masterpiece it is. All the usual elements of a biopic are here, with the trailer showing us glimpses of BlackBerry’s highs and lows. We were surprised by the film’s comedic undertones, which appear to be more prevalent here than in your run-of-the-mill biopic.
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We just have one problem: the trailer. It gives a little too much away for our liking. Sure, it’s got us looking up tickets for the 12 May release date, but we’d have liked more of the movie’s story to remain a mystery. We get it, this is a ‘true’ story – at least, as close as any biopic can be – and the story has already been told. Still, we wished this trailer was half as long as it is.
Interested in more of the BlackBerry story before the movie’s release? The book it’s based on; Losing the Signal: The Untold Story Behind the Extraordinary Rise and Spectacular Fall of BlackBerry might be worth your time.
