Page 21 - Boca Club News - August '23

Boca Club News, Page 21
Film Review:

“Blackberry”

By Nils A. Shapiro what the Research threatens a hostile takeover of their company, Balsillie pulls
Now is the right time for this film to have been made, when in Motion company out all the stops and on his own pushes a sales effort of
we who have lived through the events it describes and felt its lacks is business so many Blackberry phones that it overwhelms Verizon’s
impact can finally know and understand the background story executive know-how capacity to handle the communications traffic. He responds
behind how and why it happened–the incredible success and and leadership. by pouring millions of dollars into the pockets of the nation’s
sudden death of the technical device that changed our lives: That comes, most expert telecommunications engineers to solve the
the first cell phone, the Blackberry, which many who owned unexpectedly and problem.
and used it wish it was still around as having been highly surprisingly soon, Along the way, in 2007, he fires Doug—one of the original
reliable and excellent for its purpose. in the form of a partners—who resents when a new Chief Operating Officer
This Canadian production, released several months phone call from Jim is hired to change the office’s working atmosphere from
ago and streaming now on Amazon Prime Video, makes Balsillie, who had such fun as “Movie Day” to strictly business. Then, in the
it abundantly clear without stating so outright that such rudely dismissed midst of one crisis after another, the Securities & Exchange
a promising technical project was doomed from the start them from his office Commission shows up as part of an investigation into certain
because it brought together at the top of a company three without apparently aspects of Research in Motion’s early financial activities
men who did not belong together and who proved to be an giving them an involving Jim Balsillie.
explosive combination. opportunity to Scene after scene, with twists and turns following one
The film’s opening scene is brilliant in that it introduces fully present their after another, we begin to wonder what more can possibly
us to the personal characters of all three of these men. Mike proposal. After first challenge this creative and resilient history-making tech
Lazaridis (played by Jan Baruchel) is the technical genius apologizing for that, Balsillie offers his own proposal: He will company.
and CEO of Research in Motion (RIM), a start-up company make a financial investment in Research in Motion, own 50% And then…we view a TV screen of Steve Jobs announcing
that has developed a prototype mobile device they call the of the company, take over as CEO and provide the business the introduction of the iPhone, with a flat screen keyboard
PocketLink. He and his best friend and co-Founder, Doug knowledge and leadership needed to make PocketLink an and a list of features from Apple. When Verizon asks tech
Fregin (Matt Johnson, who also directed the film), have enormous success. head Mike Lazaridis how he intends to overcome this new
come to present their new invention to Jim Balsillie (Glenn After some telephone negotiation, with the ownership competition, he is faced with a question that doubts the
Horverton) a top executive at a major firm in hopes of securing settled at one-third instead of 50% and both Jim Balsillie superiority of his own original keyboard concept.
funding to begin manufacturing. and Mike Lazaridis as co-CEOs, the deal is agreed upon. How he answers that question; the eventual fate of
We quickly sense that Balsillie is largely ignoring his (Balsillie tells them that he is quitting his executive job in the Blackberry; the ensuing behind-the-scenes drama that
guests, anxious instead to return to the important meeting from order to join them. Only years later does he admit that he unfolded around us all and changed our lives during that
which he had excused himself to meet with them, planning had been fired because of his selfish, stab-in-the-back action impactful time, are yours to discover when you watch the
to rejoin it with the intention of making a move to selfishly against a business associate at the earlier meeting and was entire film on Amazon Prime TV. Highly recommended.
advance his own self-interest over that of one of his associates. now jobless.) *****
Although somewhat intrigued by the PocketLink concept, Regardless of the reason for the new corporate set-up, (Note This is not the first time that I watched a film I
Balsillie cuts this meeting short and dismisses his guests, who Balsillie’s business know-how proves to be the missing considered serious, even sad, only to learn that it was being
return disappointed to their office with the bad news to their ingredient for the success of Lazaridis’s new mobile device, touted as, at least in part, a comedy! A film I reviewed some
employees. The atmosphere lightens, however, when Doug now re-branded as the Blackberry. months ago, “The Menu,” was very dark, yet was entered
reminds them that it’s “Movie Day,” a time when everyone His contractual arrangement with Bell Atlantic as the in the comedy category by its studio for an Academy Award!
relaxes for a few hours to watch a film during office hours. phone time provider—which becomes Verizon—helps the Now it turns out that “Blackberry” has been named as “one
It soon becomes clear that, while Mike Lazaridis is a true Blackberry to become enormously popular, and the company of the best comedy-dramas ever to come out of Canada.” To
technical genius and Doug Fregin is a fiercely loyal friend and successful and profitable. me, it is closer to tragedy than comedy. I would like to know
instrumental in keeping the employees happy and productive, In 2003, after the wealthy CEO of a competitor, Palm, what you think. Email your opinion to our InBox column.)

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