The Gryphon Gazette

By Ethan L. ’25

In an age dominated by sleek, buttonless touch screens, it’s almost impossible to imagine that a clunky calculator-like device once ruled the technological world. As someone born in the early 2000s and being an avid iPhone user my entire life, I had no knowledge of the once-iconic BlackBerry phone. And just as I was starting to believe that retro-tech had been relegated to the dusty corners of history, Matthew Johnson’s BlackBerry drew me into a world where the tactile feel of a QWERTY keyboard became the stuff of legends. 

BlackBerry dials us back to a time when a keyboard was a statement rather than an eyesore, and the film’s exploration of its rise and fall crafts a narrative as engaging as it is educational. Its central characters are either charming sociopaths or vulnerable inferiors. The dialogue, the performances, and the storyline are masterfully drawn out, and the film becomes the equivalent of an action movie: dynamic, thrilling, surprisingly beautiful, and, strangely, moving. 

The cast is led by the visionary Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel) and his best friend and co-founder Douglas Fregin (Matthew Johnson), who unveil their invention, the BlackBerry, a wireless handheld communication device made by the Canadian company Research in Motion (RIM). They bring in the eccentric and crude businessman, Jim Balsillie (Glenn Howerton), to help run the company. The film depicts RIM skyrocketing to success as soon as it launches, so as I watched, I found myself questioning: how did the groundbreaking phone eventually become completely obsolete? I initially thought the simple answer was Steve Jobs and Silicon Valley, but there was more to the puzzle than met the eye. As the film unfolded, the innovation that launched them to fame became a double-edged sword, cutting ties with a market that rapidly evolved beyond keyboards. I was baffled by the realization that the BlackBerry, a device I have rarely heard of, had essentially inspired the iPhone, the very piece of glass billions of individuals carry around every day.

As the film comes to a close, Jim makes a phone call to Stan Sigman (former CEO of AT&T) desperate to save the company from falling to pieces. Balsillie begs, “Stan, come on. You owe me. You’ve sold a lot of minutes because of us.” The CEO’s response leaves the once fierce businessman at a loss for words, “Yeah, but you know what the problem with selling minutes is? There’s only one minute in a minute.” I watched in shock as the film presented a compelling metaphor: the BlackBerry device, once a bridge to the future, became an anchor to the past when pitted against the light-speed innovations of Silicon Valley.

BlackBerry, in its clever construction and emotional resonance, is a reminder of how fast our world changes. One day you can be on top of the world, and the next, at the bottom of the food chain. BlackBerry is a witty and excitable biographical comedy-drama that calls to appreciate the marvels of the past, informing younger generations like myself of the intricate and compelling stories that have been hidden under the commodities we take for granted.