BlackBerry

Howerton plays Balsillie like an actual shark – perpetually on the hunt, dead-eyed and dispassionate.

This is one of those whip-smart, character- and story-driven gems that grabs you from the start and never lets go.

Howerton brings something to BlackBerry, the scrappy Canadian indie about a scrappy Canadian company that changed the world, that goes above and beyond his usual lovable sociopath act. It’s not range. It’s rage.

What emerges from the electronic noise and fussy aesthetic of “BlackBerry” is a compelling portrait of a company that flew too close to the sun.

The most important aspect of BlackBerry is the fact that this is not a hero’s journey for anyone involved&#59; this is a story about what it means to be smart in some ways and dumb in others.

Johnson applies a screwball procedural framework to a true story of tech-world boom and bust, building his movie on a clash of values and personalities.

Johnson keeps things distinctly character-focused and never loses sight of the humanity at his story’s core. And all while being effortlessly funny in a subdued sharply witty way.

For a while, 2023 had a new top film.

BlackBerry is a funny character-driven exploration of the rise and fall of a company and its two very different CEOs brought to life through powerful performances from Glenn Howerton and Jay Baruchel.

BlackBerry is at its best when it has room to breathe and space to get loud. It’s theatrical in the best sense of the word, and a finely shot and composed comedy of misfits and mistakes.