GFF 2023: Matt Johnson on telling the rise and fall of BlackBerry

In hilarious fashion, BlackBerry chronicles the rise and sharp decline of the world’s first smartphone. We down with writer-director and star Matt Johnson while he was attending the UK premiere at Glasgow Film Festival to discuss the film. ----more---- Jay Baruchel plays the naive inventor of the BlackBerry, Mike Lazaridis; Only Sunny in Philadelphia’s Glenn Howerton is fantastic at Jim Balsillie, the shark-like businessman who helps Mike sell BlackBerry to the world; and Johnson himself plays Doug Fregin, the vest-wearing tech bro who started the company with Lazaridis but would rather have a good time than be in business. The film is a delight, and a world away from tragic moral tales like The Social Network or Jobs. Johnson's approach is less ostentatious, bringing these tech giants down to a human level and telling a story full of wit and pathos.  Glasgow Film Festival runs 1-12 March, get full details and tickets at glasgowfilm.org TIMESTAMPS: Glasgow, Limmy and deep-fried pizza (1:22) Why make a film about the deeply uncool BlackBerry (3:38) Casting Always Sunny's Glenn Howerton (7:47) The film's 'fly-on-the-wall' style (10:30) Borrowing from Robert Altman (14:12) Making an honest story about capitalism (14:55) Johnson's similarity to all three main characters (18:33) If you like The Cineskinny, tell your pals! Leave us a five-star review! Share the episode on socials! Follow the team on Twitter @ptrsmpsn @anahitrooz @jamiedunnesq @lew_rob_, get us on TikTok @thecineskinny, email us at [email protected] Music: Too Cool by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4534-too-cool) License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license