A sparkling biopic by Matt Johnson about how the BlackBerry was born – the main smartphone of the early century – and who turned it from the best friend of businessmen into junk.

In theaters now is Matt Johnson's comedic biopic 'Who Killed BlackBerry' – the story of the rise and fall of the first full-fledged smartphone, told in a playful pseudo-documentary style. We break down who came up with this film, why, and, most importantly, who to blame for the death of the once-dominant business phone of the pre-Apple era.

Canada has given the world plenty of good people and things. At least a couple of Ryans and Jameses, one Reeves and one Fox. The telephone, insulin, maple syrup, IMAX, almost all devices somehow related to snow, and, of course, hockey. And also the modest company Research In Motion (RIM), which started in the 80s with pagers. Director Matt Johnson invites viewers to dive into the end of the last century and observe RIM founder Mike Lazaridis (Jay Baruchel). Lazaridis is a typical genius-dropout from the golden age of big tech: he dropped out of college to invent data transfer protocols and assemble devices on his lap that seemed to investors either ridiculous toys or unattainable wonder weapons. Together with colleague Doug Fregin (Matt Johnson), Lazaridis runs the tiny company haphazardly, tries to sell modems, and half-heartedly pitches the idea of a revolutionary device to Canada's tech giants.

During one of these presentations, the young businessmen meet Jim Balsillie – a true corporate shark played by Glenn Howerton in a ridiculous bald wig. The presentation, of course, fails, but Balsillie, from the height of his vast experience, predatorily notes the team's potential and soon finds himself at RIM as co-CEO. Thus begins the ascent of the odd couple to the top of the telecommunications Everest. It's a real pleasure to watch how the BlackBerry bosses interact. Lazaridis and Balsillie, like two puzzle pieces, were searching for each other their whole lives. The first – a quiet engineer, understands how machines exchange data, but not people, while the second – a deal-maker, grabs life right by the patch cord.

Matt Johnson gained fame for his ironic stories about documentary filmmakers. His favorite techniques are a moving camera, capturing tiny details, and episodes seemingly snatched from the middle of the action. 'Who Killed BlackBerry,' due to its clear genre, doesn't always follow these rules; after all, this is a more or less traditional biopic. But at times, Johnson still manages to let loose. The Research In Motion team is full of old-school geeks, constantly playing StarCraft or spending nights watching 'Raiders of the Lost Ark.' And Doug Fregin is the quintessence of this childishness: with an eternal bandana on his head (this seems to be Johnson's own trademark, not his character's), a Mortal Kombat t-shirt, and criminally short denim shorts. Behind the success story of the Canadian tech giant were not so much businessmen as fans of 'Star Wars' and 'E.T.'

Ridiculous wigs and situational humor seem to underscore the fact that the director accepted the rules of the game but deliberately threw in his two cents. However, the structural elements of the film, despite all the advantages of the rebellious direction, remained unchanged. The obligatory annual time stamps, montages of newspaper articles, and 'What Happened Next' titles are all in place. Adequate, but a bit bland for a rebel, Mr. Johnson. Have the suits won after all?