TL;DR
- We now have the first trailer for “BlackBerry,” a film about the rise and fall of the world’s first major smartphone brand.
- It looks a lot like “The Big Short,” a film about the 2008 housing market crash.
- You can see the movie in theaters on May 12.
The iPhone is the device heralded as the beginning of the modern smartphone era. But before the iPhone, there was a different top dog of the portable handset world: BlackBerry.
On May 12, 2023, we’ll see a BlackBerry film land in theaters, which will tell the true story of the company’s rise (and subsequent fall). The first trailer for the film — aptly titled “BlackBerry” — launched today and can be seen in the video player above.
Interestingly, the trailer makes “BlackBerry” seem very similar to “The Big Short.” The latter film is an Academy Award-winning dramatization of the 2008 housing market crash. As funny as it is infuriating, “The Big Short” presents accurate depictions of history but from a fantastical perspective.
The “BlackBerry” film trailer runs through a highlight reel of the company’s origins and the beginnings of its downfall. We see young Mike Lazaridis and Douglas Fredin (played by Jay Baruchel and director Matt Johnson respectively) creating BlackBerry with the help of Jim Balsillie (played by Glenn Howerton of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”). We see the launch of the first iPhone (through real-life footage of the late Steve Jobs) and the frantic actions of the team as they respond to this new threat.
So far, early critics are giving the film high praise. “BlackBerry” currently sits with a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 20 reviews.
