Netflix just added one of the most underrated comedies of the decade — and tech nerds are going to love it

A truly great comedy is a precious commodity; they don’t come around as often as you'd like, and a great comedy that is both amusing and informative, well, that’s even rarer. Luckily, Netflix has you covered on that front with the recent addition of BlackBerry.

BlackBerry follows the rise and fall of the phone company that was all the rage before iPhones came around and ate everyone’s lunch. It goes into great detail about how the company initially found success, grew a bit too confident and then eventually failed. But if you were kicking about during the heyday of the company, you couldn’t move for BlackBerrys on the street with everyone and their dog wanting to know your BBM pin.

The film, starring Jay Baruchel (Tropic Thunder) and Glenn Howerton (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia), may not have broken any box office records, but it was incredibly well-received critically. Even now, a couple of years after its initial release, it’s sitting at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. The audience score is also incredibly high at 94%, making the film a certified banger - we can’t recommend it enough.

BlackBerry Trailer #1 (2023) - YouTube

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Wendy Ide of The Guardian gave the film four stars, going on to add “the film, directed by Matt Johnson, is a boisterous account of the boom-and-bust, crash-and-burn trajectory of one of the world’s first smartphones and the chaotic collection of Canadian nerds that created it.” Ultimately, Wendy described the film as a wild ride, and she’s not wrong.

Empire’s Beth Webb also gave the film four stars, stating “It may not be The Social Network, but this kind of human downfall, performed by brilliant comedic actors, is exactly where BlackBerry succeeds: with heart, humour and the occasional hammy flourish.” She also went out of her way to compliment Howerton as one of the film's leads, who puts in an amazing performance.

Variety wasn’t as hot on the film, only giving it three stars, but overall reads quite positively, stating that the film: “feels fresh, making geek history more entertaining than it has any right to be.”

If you’re interested in checking out BlackBerry, you’re in luck as the 2-hour-long film is on Netflix, just try not to be distracted by Jay Baruchel’s hair.

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