Dell Scott was an ill-mannered ex-convict who had no job and was losing his family. He was going around several possible jobs to have a form signed stating that he had been interviewed and rejected in order to continue receiving welfare. However, when he met Philip Lacasse, a bored billionaire who had been rendered a paraplegic and a widower by a freak accident, Dell was actually offered the job to become Philip's "life auxillary".
The trailer reminded me of the 2011 French movie entitled "The Intouchables," a comedy-drama about unlikely buddies. It was the French entry for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film that year, but did not earn the nomination despite the buzz. From the opening scene where we see Dell and Philip outsmarting cops who pulled them over for speeding, it was clear that "The Upside" was going to be a remake of "The Intouchables," and a very faithful one it was.
All the major plot points of "The Intouchables" were also here -- Philip's unfortunate paragliding mishap with his wife, Dell's exposure to opera and modern art, Philip's birthday party, Philip's epistolary relationship with a woman he had never met or spoken to. This American version gave Dell Scott a wife and son to worry about, showcased Aretha Franklin's music, and had an expanded role for Philip's secretary Yvonne (given that she was played by Nicole Kidman, after all).
Bryan Cranston was very good as the classy Philip Lacasse, successfully overcoming the limitations of the script and his disabled character. Despite his being confined in his wheelchair or a bed for the whole film, only able to move from the neck up, Cranston was still created a remarkable character so rich in emotional expression, from mirthful joy to absolute panic, from frustrated anger to brooding misery.
Kevin Hart's Dell Scott was a very unlikable character, with an annoying and even scary gangster attitude, I would have given up on him much earlier than Philip did. I think he overdid the brusqueness and the rudeness. He did not make it easy for viewers to root for him at all despite the family and financial problems he was facing. Admittedly, this role gave Hart a most complex acting challenge compared to his other lowbrow comedies.
Overall, the negative way Dell Scott's character had been written and portrayed did not ride well with me, causing me not enjoy this movie. It was too over-the-top and unsympathetic, it made the whole premise of the film uncomfortable and unconvincing, even if this was actually based on a true story about a French aristocrat and his Algerian caregiver. 5/10.
PS: The local poster of this film showed the two guys looking at the legs of a woman wearing stillettos with her panties hanging on her leg -- something obviously not in the international poster above. Why do the local distributors have to photoshop in this lurid image which had nothing to do with the film at all? I find it deceptive and insulting to the Filipino audience.
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