First ‘BlackBerry’ Movie Trailer Released, Shows Rise and Fall of RIM [VIDEO]

IFC Films has released its first trailer for its upcoming film drama, BlackBerry, which documents the rise and fall of Waterloo’s Research in Motion (RIM) and its ubiquitous smartphone that dominated before the iPhone and Android debuted.

The BlackBerry film describes itself as “the “true story” of the meteoric rise & catastrophic demise of the world’s first smartphone,” calling itself a “whirlwind ride through a ruthlessly competitive Silicon Valley at breakneck speeds.”

The movie stars Jay Baruchel as Mike Lazaridis and Glenn Howerton as Jim Balsillie, the two co-founders of RIM.

The film was co-written by Director Matt Johnson and Producer Matthew Miller, and also stars Cary Elwes and Saul Rubinek. BlackBerry was shot in Hamilton, Ontario, while some scenes show off Waterloo, the home of RIM.

BlackBerry had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 17, 2023. It is slated to hit theatres in Canada and the U.S. on May 12, 2023.

Watching RIM attempt to go toe-to-toe with the iPhone was an interesting point in time. Apple and Steve Jobs exploited and exposed weaknesses in RIM and the BlackBerry never was able to compete.

While the BlackBerry was addicting for what it was, the interface was clunky and disgusting. It’s another classic example of a Canadian tech darling disaster. All those die-hard ‘crackberry’ users are likely iPhone and Android users today.

Check out the first BlackBerry trailer below: