Netflix is on a roll right now, with smash-hit Wednesday dominating the top of its chart (and with season one being its most successful show ever, to date, with 1.7 billion hours of streaming time clocked).
Being it’s one of the best streaming services, however, Netflix also has heaps of other content across a versatile range of genres. And It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia star, Glenn Howerton, just has his breakout movie from 2023 added to the catalogue.
BlackBerry is a superb drama, exploring the rise of the world’s first smartphone, the BlackBerry, in a chaotic ‘based on real events’ movie that’s perfectly pitched to be both entertaining and amusing. It’s not a geeky snorefest – as you can see from the trailer below.
BlackBerry trailer
What’s BlackBerry about?
The rise and rise of Research In Motion, the company behind the BlackBerry, at the turn of the century was a sensation, rocketing the startup into stratospheric territory – and earning those at the top some serious cash.
But when Apple’s iPhone came knocking in 2007, the whole industry was turned upside down and BlackBerry’s position was quickly threatened. We all know how that story turned out.
The BlackBerry movie is a biopic that explores the rise from the inside, with keen focus on Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and Jim Balsillie (Howerton), the two men who saw the brand fly – but not always for fully legal reasons.
Is BlackBerry highly rated?
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Howerton was an unexpected casting, but he delves into the role headstrong (minus the hair, of course), and at the totally opposite end of the scale from his It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia role. Balsillie’s actions are sometimes funny, but his character is a very serious figure.
The movie, directed by Matt Johnson (who also stars), was a revelation at launch, with critics’ responses particularly full of praise. The Rotten Tomatoes site sits the movie at a sky-high 97%, which is a rare thing indeed.
Audiences largely agreed, too, with a 94% rating close echo of the critics’ views. “A reminder of how quickly technology changes in our current era,” says one review. “A modern tale that is well paced, with good acting and engaging script,” reads another.
With BlackBerry now back on Netflix, it’s well worth catching Howerton’s captivating performance. The cinematography is just as chaotic as the story it reflects, giving the sense that you’re part of the story throughout.
