Watching BlackBerry is like walking into one of those hole-in-the-wall restaurants where they take a dish no one has strong feelings about either way like meatloaf, but then they just make the hell out of it. You are left asking not just how this is so good, but why - what inspired this gifted team to take on this particular subject?
From the outside it’s easy to assume this is midgrade made-for-TV fare about the rise and fall of a company that many may not even remember. However, this is great and surprising from start to finish. The writers clearly figured out the most important story and character beats and waste little time between them. The movie is anchored by three performances that are somehow both simultaneously wild and exaggerated but also easy to miss, understated in a kind of classically Canadian way.
It struggles occasionally with side characters that come and go without much purpose, but even then the performances are great so it’s hard to get too bothered by it.
Lately, business tales have been locked into a Sorkin-esque form of storytelling which are entertaining but unsurprising. This is a delightful, gentle alternative. A great time and a great surprise.
