(Howdy, folks! This
one’s going to be a little shorter than the usual review only because I’m currently
working on my End of the Year lists.)
Today’s film, The
Upside, is an interesting one to talk about mainly because of its source
material. In 2011, French filmmakers Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano released
their latest project, The Intouchables.
The film starred Omar Sy as a man who, after being released from prison, ends
up getting hired to be the caretaker for a quadriplegic millionaire, played by
François Cluzet. Inspired
by the real-life story of businessman Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and his caretaker
Abdel Sellou, the film did quite well with critics upon its release and Sy
ended up winning the Cesar Award (AKA the French Oscars) for Best Actor.
However, it was an even bigger hit from a financial perspective, grossing the
equivalent of $412.9 million at the worldwide box-office and becoming the second
highest-grossing French film of all-time behind 2008’s Welcome to the Sticks. Since its release, a few remakes have been
produced by other countries, including a 2015 Indian remake, Oopiri, a 2016 Argentinian remake, Inseparables, and an impending Bollywood
adaptation. As for an American adaptation, directorial duties ultimately went
to Neil Burger, whose filmography includes the 2006 romantic period piece The Illusionist, 2011’s sci-fi thriller Limitless, and the first installment of
the Divergent series, with Kevin Hart
and Bryan Cranston taking on the lead roles. And although the film spent a few
years in limbo due to a shift in distributors, it’s now seen the light of day
as one of the first releases of 2019 and an enjoyable little crowd-pleaser that
benefits heavily from its excellent lead duo.
At the time that I’m writing this, I have not seen the
original Intouchables, though I was
at least made aware of it back when it was released because of its financial
success. Even with this in mind, however, it’s clear that this new film isn’t
that different from the original, as it still follows the same plot of a
recently paroled man (Kevin Hart) who inadvertently becomes the caretaker of a
recently paralyzed millionaire (Bryan Cranston). As such, the film’s plot is admittedly
very predictable. It’s your standard buddy comedy about two mismatched
characters who gradually learn to get along and help each other better
themselves in life in the process, and thus, it’s quite easy to tell where it’s
going to go narratively. Still, for what it’s worth, the film does a nice job when
it comes to balancing its comedy with its drama. The humor in this is solid,
for the most part, and there are also some very effective emotional moments peppered
in as well. Ultimately, though, this film mainly succeeds because of the
excellent camaraderie of Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston. While the film does
give him the chance to do some solid dramatic work, Hart is his usual animated
self here and this is matched nicely with Cranston’s dry wit. And while most of
her role in the film consists of her reacting to Hart’s shenanigans, Nicole
Kidman makes the most out of her supporting role as Yvonne, the loyal assistant
of Cranston’s character Phillip. In conclusion, The Upside certainly fits the bill when it comes to a January
release. It’s not going to win any major awards, but if you’re just looking for
a decent little dramedy, then the dynamic lead duo of Kevin Hart and Bryan
Cranston does make this one worth checking out.
Rating: 3.5/5
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