The Upside ★★★★☆ | Movie Review

Synopsis


Phillip is a quadriplegic who is looking for a new carer. Dell is just looking for a signature to prove he's searching for a job, but his brash and no nonsense attitude sparks a curiosity in Phillip and he offers him the position.


Review


After a bit of a bleak start to January I was looking forward to something with a little humour and The Upside did not disappoint.

Kevin Hart is always one of those actors that strikes me as an acquired taste. I enjoy lots of his roles but they do have a tendency to grate a little. Dell made a wonderful change though, it really suited him. This is probably the most serious role I've seen him in and I'm hoping that this is going to lead to more things along this line.

The other actors make good work of their parts. Kidman's role is rather small and a little predictable but entertaining nevertheless. I'd be hard pushed to tell you what I've ever seen Cranston in apart from Malcolm In The Middle, I can't say I was as impressed with him as I was Hart but he made for a good partner in crime.

There's one thing that confused me though was the very opening of the film. The first scene shows you events from further down the timeline but there doesn't seem to be any reason for it. I've been contemplating possibilities, potentially to show that the main character of the film isn't just Dell, but that becomes evident on it's own. I'm really shrugging my shoulders about its inclusion, it's quickly forgotten and doesn't really have any impact there and probably detracted from its inclusion later on.

The Upside is a remake of the French film Untouchable (original title Intouchables) which in turn was inspired by the real life story of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and Abdel Sellou. It's a charming story, delightfully amusing, and quite incredible to discover is inspired by true events. It certainly gives you something to stop and think about, and the fact that there are stories out there like this does give you back a little faith in humanity.

What you should do


It's well worth a watch, I think I'm even going to say that the money on a cinema ticket would not feel like a waste.

Movie thing you wish you could take home


A collection of sports cars would be quite nice, and the money to keep myself insured on them!

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