Glenn Howerton’s New Movie ‘BlackBerry’ Proves That the D.E.N.N.I.S. System from ‘It’s Always Sunny...’ Works

The new movie BlackBerry charts the rise and fall of the eponymous, generation-defining smartphone, with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Glenn Howerton playing Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie, the shark-like executive who is largely responsible for the spectacular telephonic failure.

Interestingly, though, Balsillie’s ruthlessness in BlackBerry looks awful familiar (emphasis on awful) to It’s Always Sunny… fans who have taken to Letterboxd to outline how the failure of the ubiquitous device was the D.E.N.N.I.S. system at work. 

For those unfamiliar, the D.E.N.N.I.S. system is a sociopathic method of seduction from It’s Always Sunny… that includes the following deranged steps: 

• D = Demonstrate value
• E = Engage physically 
• N = Nurture dependence 
• N = Neglect emotionally 
• I = Inspire hope
• S = Separate entirely (after, of course, they’ve been totally reeled in)

In the movie, Balsillie starts by demonstrating his value to BlackBerry’s founders, gaining Mike Lazaridis’ trust as he pushes Doug Fregin out, and making them financially dependent on him by investing in their struggling company. From there, Balsillie neglects Lazaridis’ concerns about scaling the business and adapting to consumer demand, while inspiring hope with the initial device, only to ultimately abandon Lazaridis, too. 

It seems that whether it’s a sexual conquest or a Big Tech one, the D.E.N.N.I.S. system, unlike the BlackBerry itself, never fails.