The Upside movie is a great movie with Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart
The life affirming comedy about a wealthy quadriplegic and his ex-convict assistant boasts funny and powerful performances
There’s a joke a friend’s father used to tell, a variant of an old Mae West line. “I’ve been rich and miserable, I’ve been poor and miserable. And let me tell you: rich is better.” The Upside, a Hollywood remake of the runaway French smash Untouchable, is a movie about a depressed quadriplegic and unloved ex-con, and still manages to be an aspirational film in the Nancy Meyers vein because of friendship, the triumph of the human spirit and really luxurious Park Avenue apartments.
The penthouse Bryan Cranston’s Phil lives in is practically Wonka’s factory to Dell (Kevin Hart), who lives in public housing when his girlfriend hasn’t thrown him out. Dell is a deadbeat dad who needs to prove he’s still going on fruitless job interviews to appease his parole officer. A mix-up lands him at Phil’s just as he and his major-domo (Nicole Kidman) are taking applicants for a new aide specifically trained in the lifting, feeding and being an all-around lifeline for someone paralysed from the neck down. In an act of defiance (or maybe he just has a good sense), the well-groomed Phil decides this unkempt loose cannon is the only man for the job.
