Alrighty folks we are back to our normal looking blog. Hooray! I know you're just quaking in your boots because you're so excited. Today I will be reviewing The Upside starring Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart, and Nicole Kidman. I really enjoyed this movie and I can't wait to get this review started. So without further ado... LET'S DO THIS.
PLOT:
Based on the critically acclaimed French film The Intouchables (I highly recommend this film even if you don't like foreign films... it's amazing), The Upside tells the story of Phillip (Bryan Cranston) and Dell (Kevin Hart). Dell has just recently gotten out of prison for a crime that's never really specified. While meeting his parole officer, she tells him that he needs to prove that he is looking for work otherwise he's going back in. He must get a certain amount of signatures proving that he did indeed go look for a job. On his mission to get signatures he goes to what he thinks is an interview for a janitorial position. He waits and waits but there are a ton of applicants and each interview seems to take forever.
He finally gets fed up with waiting and storms into the room where the interviews are being held. In the room are Phillip, a quadriplegic, and his assistant, Yvonne (Nicole Kidman). Phillip got into a major paragliding accident and can no longer move anything below his neck. They are looking for a new care assistant to help him with his everyday activities.
Dell demands a signature from him but Phillip has other plans. There's something about Dell that interests Phillip and he offers him the job right there on the spot. This film tells the true story of their friendship.
REVIEW:
So I was pretty excited about this film since its announcement. I'm a huge fan of the French film. In fact, it's my favorite foreign film so when I heard they were making a new film I was pretty stoked. Also the cast is great in this film. You've got Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart, and Nicole Kidman, you can't really go wrong here. I love films that focus on the story they're trying to tell and their characters over films with really cool special effects and action pieces. Don't get me wrong I love those films too, it's just the smaller, more intimate, story-based films hold a dear place in my heart. This film is exactly that. This is a simple story that has a lot of heart to it. It's really a film about friendship.
I'll start with the performances like I always do. I know you're shocked. I love Kevin Hart. I think he is one of the funniest actors out there today but I haven't really seen him in a semi-dramatic role so I was interested in how he would approach this. To say he was great is an understatement because he just knocked it out of the park. His character had so much soul and yet he still kept his funny charm. He was still able to crack those Kevin Hart jokes while giving a dramatic and dynamic performance. He kept a nice balance throughout the film. He wasn't too campy and over the top, he played everything just right. I hope he takes more roles like this because he can really act. I knew he was funny but I was pleasantly surprised just how great a dramatic actor he can be.
Now I've never seen Breaking Bad (I know that's a crime in some of your books and I do apologize) but what I've seen of Bryan Cranston's work I've really enjoyed and I really do like him as an actor. As I previously stated I was a huge fan of the original French film and I adored both of the actors' performances. When I saw that Bryan Cranston was going to play the part of Phillip, I instantly knew that was the perfect choice. He can do dramatic work so well but he also has great comedic timing. This role could be very weighty because his life can look dark at times. He can't move his body, he always has to rely on someone, he can feel powerless. Bryan's performance gives us all this emotion and frustration but he also has such great comedic lines and moments that lighten the mood of the story and give it more of a human feel. There's humor all around us, you just have to look for it and be open to it and his performance of this character really allows that to shine through. Him and Kevin's dynamic is so natural it almost feels like watching a documentary about these two characters. They have such a flow between them and they bounce off each other nicely. Chemistry in these types of film can make or break it and thankfully these guys had such great chemistry it made the whole film work.
I'll only briefly mention her because this story is primarily focused on the relationship between Phillip and Dell but my girl Nicole Kidman delivers once again. I'm sure I've mentioned this loads of times but I adore Nicole Kidman and I always look forward to her films. This performance doesn't disappoint. Although she doesn't have as much screen time as Cranston and Hart, her scenes have an impact. I especially like her interactions with Hart because his character is so carefree and uninhibited and her character is so by-the-rules, it's very fun to watch their interactions and how they often butt heads. You can tell there is some respect and mutual care between the two but both are too stubborn to make it known. They have some really fun scenes together.
I briefly mentioned this before but the story for this film just works. It's a feel good movie about an unlikely friendship with great comedic moments along with some heartbreaking and dramatic moments. Sometimes you just need a feel good movie to escape from the world. This film is also genuinely funny. It doesn't try too hard and it's not raunchy. I've said this before in some previous posts but I think comedy is at its best when it comes organically from the story, it plays a role in the story itself. So many comedies these days try to one up each other by how raunchy and filthy they can be or how many cheap laughs they can get. I like smart writing that is able to be comedic but not try too hard. That's why I liked this film so much because the comedic moments worked within the scope of the story. I found myself laughing out loud on multiple occasions in this film which is more than I can say about most films that claim to be comedies.
Everything about this film worked for me; the story, the performances, the comedy, etc. It felt like one of those rare gems you find occasionally that just captures everything you want. The writing is so smart and genuine and they really focused on the details of the French film. Seriously though you should check out The Intouchables because it's so good. This film had a very similar feel to that film which made me very happy because I genuinely love the French film. I was happy to have walked out of the theater with the same feeling as I did watching that film.
PARENT'S GUIDE:
There is a little bit of cussing in this film but nothing bad. There is also a scene where some of the characters smoke some marijuana. This film is rated PG-13 but overall this is a very clean film. It's up to you parentals if you wish to take your kiddos.
OVERALL RATING:
For this film I'm going to give it a...
The Upside: 10/10
Another rare occasion where I give a film a perfect score. Sure from a filmmaking perspective this may not be a perfect movie but I loved it and it made me feel good. It was just a genuinely wonderful, comforting story with some great comedy. It's all I wanted it to be and more. I couldn't have asked for a better movie. I highly recommend this one if you haven't figured that out by now.
CONCLUSION:
Well that's all I have for you folks! I hope you enjoyed our return to normal form and I really hope you check out this film. I really think you'll like it. As always thank you so much for taking the time to read and visit this little blog of mine. Please leave me a comment or suggestion and tell your friends! Let's get this puppy trending! Until next time!
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