In this segment of our Colossus Movie Guide for Blackberry, we delve into the significance of the film’s title.
Cast
- Mike Lazaridis – Jay Baruchel
- Jim Balsillie – Glenn Howerton
- Douglas Fregin – Matt Johnson
- Carl Yankowski – Cary Elwes
- Charles Purdy – Michael Ironside
- John Woodman – Saul Rubinek
- Paul Stannos – Rich Sommer
- Ritchie Cheung – SungWon Cho
- Written by – Matt Johnson | Matthew Miller
- Directed by – Matt Johnson
Why is the movie called Blackberry?
It seems we’re witnessing the birth of a new genre. Instead of the traditional biopic like Lincoln or Oppenheimer, we’re in the era of product origin stories. Air, Blackberry, Tetris, Madden. The two forerunners of this were The Social Network in 2010 and Moneyball in 2011, both Sorkin screenplays.
While The Social Network opted for a more poetic title that added a thematic frame to the origin story of Facebook, other films have opted for a more straightforward approach. By doing so, they lose out on nuance and dimensionality. But they gain in authority. Any other film that ever tries to cover the story of Blackberry has to compete with Blackberry. It’s declarative and carries with it a sense of official-ness. That’s why Christopher Nolan called his movie about the Dunkirk evacuation Dunkirk. It’s why he called his movie about Oppenheimer Oppenheimer. It’s why Spielberg called his movie about Abraham Lincoln Lincoln.
As we see this initial rush to build out the product origin genre, it seems a safe bet that many of these “first to market” stories will try to go with the most direct title possible to not only capitalize on the built-in audience and energy around the product but to also plant the flag at the top of the mountain that all future storytellers will have to maneuver around.
With The Social Network, it was a David Fincher movie written by Aaron Sorkin. It could be called Poo Poo Good Bad and be the No. 1 movie on its opening weekend. They had some leeway. At a certain point, we’ll probably see the poetic titles come back. That could be because it’s a Fincher/Sorkin situation where the prestige is enough to sell the film. Or because it’s a second-time-through. If there’s another movie about Blackberry, they might call it Withered on the Vine or Hold the Line.
Share Your Opinions
Do you have additional insights regarding the title that you believe should be incorporated into the Colossus Movie Guide for Blackberry? Leave your comments below, and we may include your suggestions in our comprehensive guide.
Write a response