Movie Review

'BlackBerry' taps into stress and hubris in story about creation of smartphone

The advance of technology in the 21st century can be staggering to think about. Innovative engineers have either created new inventions out of whole cloth or piggy-backed on existing knowledge to bring now-commonplace things like iPhones and streaming television into reality, ideas that were barely a blip on the radar even 20 years ago.

The new movie BlackBerry chronicles the rise and fall of the company behind the titular device, credited with being the world’s first smartphone. Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and Doug (Matt Johnson) lead a ragtag Canadian tech company called Research in Motion, which is trying to get other companies interested in their newest product, a mobile device that combines the abilities of a phone, pager, and e-mail into one.

Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton), a brash and uncompromising marketing executive, sees the potential of the product to disrupt the cell phone market, and bullies his way to leading the company. Mike, Doug, and the rest of the team find themselves hanging on for dear life as Jim makes a series of risky moves that make the BlackBerry ubiquitous in the early 2000s, but also puts the company on a path toward ruin.

Written and directed by Johnson, with help from co-writer Matthew Miller, the film has an unpolished look to it, as a lot of the imagery is grainy and the camera is constantly bouncing around, something that befits the low-rent feel of the company. The continuous movement also aids the story, as Jim’s tyrannical ways are a source of never-ending stress, especially for Mike, who’s tasked with fulfilling Jim’s often unreasonable demands.

In a way, the film is agnostic about whether the BlackBerry was a good product. It’s more concerned with how it became so popular, something it attributes mainly to Jim. The aggressiveness and hubris he’s shown to have has a way of convincing people to do things they probably shouldn’t do. He’s a loathsome character who’s also ultra-compelling, not least because of the all-in performance by Howerton.

Although there have been multiple other similar projects about tech companies like WeCrashed, The Dropout, and Super Pumped, what BlackBerry most strongly resembles is a dramatic version of the HBO comedy Silicon Valley. In each, intelligent-but-naïve engineers do their best to bring a great product to the world, only to be thwarted by egomaniacal leaders whose behavior threatens to bring down the company at all times.

The power of Howerton, previously best known for starring on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, cannot be understated, as he inhabits the toxicity of his role in every way. Even when he’s not on screen, the memory of his rants colors what the other characters do. Baruchel is slightly miscast, but manages to settle in okay. Johnson often steals the show as Doug, a goofy-but-earnest character.

The foreknowledge that the release of the iPhone decimated sales of the BlackBerry takes away from the end of the film a bit, but BlackBerry is still an interesting story of how a relatively-small company in Canada came to dominate the tech world for brief period of time.

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BlackBerry opens in theaters on May 12.

Photo courtesy of IFC Films

Glenn Howerton in BlackBerry.

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RIP Chris

Dallas DJ and record store owner Chris Penn passes away

Courtesy photo

Chris Penn at Good Records

Following a serious accident, Christopher Todd Penn, a DJ and co-founder of music store Good Records, passed away on April 23; he was 54. Penn fell while at work and sustained serious damage, causing paralysis from the neck down.

His wife Jenn shared the news of his death, stating that "his injuries were just too great for his ravaged body to continue."

"These are the hardest words I have ever had to write, to witness and process. My kids have lost heir father, I lost my partner of 21. years, his brother has lost hishero, many have lost a dear friend, and Dallas has lost a treasure," she said.

The accident occurred on March 17 when Penn was taking down advertising decals on the front window of Good Records, when the decal unexpectedly gave way and he fell backwards landing directly on his back. His friend and Good Records co-owner Tim DeLaughter described the fall as "catastrophic," stating that "his spinal cord was bruised and paralysis was immediate from the neck down."

Penn remained in the hospital until he died.

No visitors were allowed but a GoFundMe raised more than $200,000 for Chris' wife Jennifer, and their three sons Oliver, Archie, and Grover.

Penn grew up in San Antonio and graduated from Texas A&M in 1993, then moved to Dallas to work with Tripping Daisy, running their merchandise table. He spent his life in the music industry in many capacities including performing as a DJ, producing shows, running a music label, and co-founding Good Records, with DeLaughter and DeLaughter's wife Julie Doyle in 2000.

Chris Penn and Alice Cooper Chris Penn, left, with Alice Cooper, whose reunion he helped instigate.Courtesy photo

The store, as well as Penn himself, earned great affection from the local music community by hosting frequent in-store events, including performances, signings, listening parties for new records, and meet-and-greets with a broad spectrum of national touring acts: from Tommy Tutone to Jason Boland to the famous reunion of Alice Cooper — a reunion that had stuck to this day: In July, the legendary rock band is releasing a new album called The Revenge of Alice Cooper, featuring all the original members.

In her post, Jenn hinted that a memorial concert was in the works.

"Early on in his recovery, we would stay up late into the night brainstorming bands we could ask to play his benefit concert," she said. "I remember saying to him, 'think pie in the sky, nobody is too big.' When he said Willie Nelson, I thought, 'well maybe not THAT big.' For a time, this gave his mind something to focus on and look forward to. That concert will happen and he will be there with us. Stay tuned as we iron out all the details.

She called Chris "an incredible force of nature and his heart always seemed to have room for more connection ... more love ... more friendships. That is who Chris was. That will be his legacy for our kids."

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