Need a good laugh, and you don’t mind doing so at the expense of a struggling mobile tech company? Well, check out the first half of this Funny or Die parody video, which supposedly shows the very last BlackBerry employee advertising the firm’s final phone release. Of course, this being a parody means it’s not what you think, and it is rather amusing.
Well, for a while at least. Then the drinking starts. The story is acted out by comedian Dave Foley, and is entitled, “BlackBerry Meltdown.” What starts as a relatively familiar corporate-style skit, soon turns into not only something darker, but also a comment on the way BlackBerry staff, owners, and fans are probably all feeling about now.
The last couple of years have been rough on BlackBerry, culminating this month in the proposed sale to a private equity group falling through, and CEO Thorsten Heins confirming he would be leaving the company. BlackBerry’s trying to remain confident, and says the “for sale” sign has been taken down, and that the firm is here to stay. Maybe, but we still don’t think buying a BlackBerry phone is the best decision you can make.
In the video, the executive portrayed by Foley, who like BlackBerry is Canadian, seeks solace in a bottle of Jack, some screaming, or by loudly strumming an acoustic guitar. For anyone who has been closely following BlackBerry’s exploits these last years, this image in surprisingly poignant, as it recalls the cover of REO Speedwagon’s Keep On Loving You, sung by BlackBerry vice presidents and released at the same time as BlackBerry 10 in late 2012. Made during better days, we can’t imagine there is much singing going on over at BlackBerry HQ these days.
Take a look at the video below, but as we said, it’s less Funny or Die, and more Funny and Depressing.
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