BLACKBERRY (2023)

Between BLACKBERRY smartphones, AIR’s footwear, and TETRIS computer games, late 20th century consumerism is getting quite the workout in 2023.  This one, a fact-based tale of Canadian hubris (is that an oxymoron?) plays as a satirical cautionary: All Capitalism Tends to Corrupt/Absolute Capitalism Corrupts Absolutely.  A pair of likeable tech nerds hope to land a deal to finance their putative smartphone, but only get up and running when a hard-charging, just fired master-of-the-universe wannabe businessman comes on board and totally shakes up their sleepy operation.  A series of compromises, moral & technical, do wonders for a few years, but over-extension, cutthroat deals, financial promises & lies, and character flaws magnified in the heat of competition bring it crashing down.  Director/co-writer Matt Johnson has a good time (maybe a better time than you’ll have, the film was an unexpected flop in Canada and a non-starter Stateside*) digitally shooting in a fashion made to resemble a 16mm cinema verité crew mistakenly hired for a mockumentary tv sit-com like THE OFFICE.  A perfect fit for both the film’s time frame and for the spirit of a little company growing too big for its britches.  Though with a Canadian film you never can be sure if it was done on purpose or was serendipitous.  In either case it’s the best observation in here, other than a superb character touch right at the end, when our nerd prince realizes he’s turned back into a frog as he opens the newly arrived Chinese manufactured model meant to save the company, then carefully repacks the substandard item neatly back in its box.

DOUBLE-BILL/LINK: As mentioned above, AIR (not seen here) and/or TETRIS.  https://maksquibs.blogspot.com/2023/04/tetris-2023.html

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:  Jay Baruchel, who plays the top tech nerd destroyed by success is like a new generation Rick Moranis.  Hopefully he won’t pull a disappearing act before turning 50.

SCREWY THOUGHT OF THE DAY:  *Unusually, not a single mention of family or homelife for anyone in here.  Outside works interests reduced to Movie Night (at the office) and Hockey.  There are exactly three very modest female speaking roles and no relationship/romantic angle at all.  Does this in any way explain the financial drubbing?