Page 15 - Boca Exposure - August '23

Boca Exposure, Page 15
Film Review: Blackberry

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