The Upside
Phillip (Bryan Canston) is an incredibly wealthy business wizard now paralyzed from the neck down and grieving the loss of his wife to cancer. Seemingly broken by the world, Phillip is missing joy and wonder, that is until the unlikely hire of his body assistant, Dell (Kevin Heart), a rough and unrefined man just looking to stay off his parole officer’s bad list. Teaching each other lessons about life, their friendship may be exactly what the other needs.
Directed by Neil Burger and written by Jon Hartmere based on the screenplay of Les Intouchables by Éric Toledo (2011) this adaptation of a true story contains a great deal of the charm and fun of the original yet somehow still seems to be missing that special je ne sais quoi. That’s not to say that the chemistry between Cranston, Heart, and Nicole Kidman is absent; rather, the chemistry is in fact there, but elements of believability, wonder, and inspiration somehow seem to get lost in translation. Still, a feel good film with just enough glow to create a sense of endearment to start off 2019 with a dash of hope. Maybe matinee worthy. The Upside is rated PG-13.