By Darlene Donloe
The Upside, in theaters nationwide today, is inspired by a true story about two men, one is an Arab and the other is Parisian. Rumor has it that the two men are still friends.
In this movie, however, the men are white and black and portrayed by Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart.
As the story goes, Phillip (Cranston), who is a very wealthy white man, was in a hang gliding accident, which left him paralyzed from the neck down. Unable to take care of himself, Phillip has someone live with him to take care of his everyday needs. When that person leaves, he must quickly find someone else. He ends up hiring a young, black, ex-con named Dell to become his arms and legs. Of course, Dell has no clue how to take care of a quadriplegic, but because he has to find a job in order to fulfill his legal obligations, he’s willing to give it a shot. Dell has a son and an ex, played by Aja Naomi King, with whom he has a bitter relationship. He wants desperately to mend his relationship with his family and is hopeful that the job may be just the blessing he needs.
When Dell begins the gig, chaos ensues. He has to learn how to feed Phillip, bathe Phillip, and most important of all - change Phillip’s catheter. The scene where he has to change Phillip’s catheter for the first time is priceless. In fact, it’s hysterical!
Both Hart and Cranston bring their A-game to The Upside. It’s like watching a championship tennis match with equally effective and talented competitors.
There is great chemistry between Hart and Cranston. This is some of Hart’s best work. He’s not as over the top as he has been in his previous celluloid efforts. Cranston is brilliant! He is incredible considering he can only express his feelings through his eyes. He communicates solely through his eyes – delivering some very touching and emotional moments in the film. Eventually, these two become very cool buddies. Each one teaches the other how to live their best lives.
The Upside, based on the 2011 motion picture Intouchables by Eric Toldedano and Olivier Nakache, has some wonderfully dramatic moments and some delicious comedic moments.
Although it’s predictable, the movie is still entertaining.
The movie, directed by Neil Burger, was slated to come out last March. It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2017.
The Upside stars Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston, Golshifteh Farahani, Aja Naomi King, and Nicole Kidman.
Producers are Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch.
On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likeable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent), The Upside gets an O (oh, yeah).
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