The Upside

Name: The Upside
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: January 11, 2019
Duration: 126 min
Rating: 46
Cast: Aja Naomi King, Amara Karan, Annie Pisapia, Bryan Cranston, Gary Ayash

2019

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 40 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 93 Ratings

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6.0

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6.0	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 93 Ratings

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The Upside

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Movie Details & Credits

STX Entertainment | Release Date: January 11, 2019 | PG-13

Starring: Aja Naomi King, Amara Karan, Annie Pisapia, Bryan Cranston, Gary Ayash, Genevieve Angelson, Golshifteh Farahani, Jahi Di'Allo Winston, Jennifer Butler, Julianna Margulies, Julie Stackhouse, Kevin Hart, Kimberly S. Fairbanks, Kristina Aponte, Madeleine Woolner, Nicole Kidman, Pia Mechler, Robert Benn, Suzanne Savoy, Tate Donovan

Summary: A recently paroled ex-convict (Kevin Hart) strikes up an unlikely friendship with a paralyzed billionaire (Bryan Cranston).

Director: Neil Burger

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 126 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

James Berardinelli

Jan 14, 2019

The film’s predictability is offset by what Hart and Cranston bring to the proceedings. Read full review

Peter Rainer

Jan 11, 2019

The Upside is a movie that somehow works, at least some of the time, even when it shouldn’t. Read full review

Barry Hertz

Jan 7, 2019

Cranston and Hart fight tooth and nail to keep the film as charming as possible, though, with Hart going to particularly impressive lengths. It almost works, until you remember it shouldn't. Read full review

Stephanie Zacharek

Jan 10, 2019

Neither great nor terrible. It quavers in that middle ground of pictures you think you might watch on a plane someday, and you could make a worse choice. Read full review

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky

Jan 10, 2019

The rest is feel-good painted unenthusiastically by numbers: a repetitive series of artificially inflated character conflicts and tossed-off resolutions, interspersed with slapstick and jokes about prissy rich snobs, ultimately adding up to far less than the sum of its well-worn parts. Read full review

David Fear

Jan 11, 2019

It’s a mediocrity no matter when you release it. Read full review

Mark Kennedy

Jan 9, 2019

Few films in memory have squandered so much acting talent in such a cliche-ridden, exploitative and dishonest way. Read full review

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User Reviews

playerstatus143

Jan 13, 2019

An amazing film that can be classified under any category. Great acting, Great plot couldn't ask for more

1 of 7 users found this helpful16

MadelnUSA

Jan 22, 2019

If you liked blind side with Sandra Bullock, then you should love this movie as much as I did. I find so many similarities between the two; the characters, the acting, the writing and the directing in both movies is pure genius as far as I am concerned. Kevin Hart shows he is much more thanIf you liked blind side with Sandra Bullock, then you should love this movie as much as I did. I find so many similarities between the two; the characters, the acting, the writing and the directing in both movies is pure genius as far as I am concerned. Kevin Hart shows he is much more than just an actor specializing in comedy roles. IMHO this is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

gfreeman4

Jan 13, 2019

This movie is very good. I came out of the theater happy. The movie is a feel-good, uplifting film that really leaves a mark on you emotionally. Despite some minor subplot problems. Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston deliver a wonderful performance with amazing on screen chemistry. WouldThis movie is very good. I came out of the theater happy. The movie is a feel-good, uplifting film that really leaves a mark on you emotionally. Despite some minor subplot problems. Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston deliver a wonderful performance with amazing on screen chemistry. Would definitely recommend!… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

hnestlyonthesly

Oct 7, 2019

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Upside is a delight that draws its energy from the charisma of its lead actors, their inexhaustible chemistry, and the objective lens that dramatizes and finds humor in the everyday experiences of people with disabilities without being maudlin or clinical–which is sort of Phil’s point when he picks Dell to be his attendant in the first place. If you can get past the fact that this movie tells the story of an incredibly thin slice of the disability community, you’ll love this fun, brisk romp.

This film has been a long time coming for us. We first started seeing the trailers in December and Wife seemed approving. The script deftly heads off the most salient criticisms of privilege with a few exchanges between Phil and Dell–the resolution to the stolen book and the recurring “strike” system shows off Phil’s unexpected forgiveness and open mind and deepens the mystery of why Phil chose Dell in the first place.

The love triangle side plot gives Phil a chance to examine different facets of romance from the perspective of a guilty widow, an unobservant friend (Yvonne), and a smitten but anxious admirer (Lily). One of the film’s strengths is its interest in the sexuality of people with disabilities (see also, Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far and The Shape of Water).

By digging deeper into a place often buried, The Upside finds a trove of humor and insight into the emotional life of Phil. Phil resists some of the nastier tropes of people who acquire their physical disabilities late in life, like suicidal tendencies or excessive self pity (see most recently Me Before You and check out Erin Clark’s funny, insightful critique from refinery29). He’s wracked with guilt because of his recklessness, but much of the film is about his interest in art, music, women, and hotdogs (the hotdog scene is maybe one of my favorite in the whole film). The Upside to me shows that movies can feature people with disabilities as protagonists without having to be about having a disability.

The Upside‘s observations about the humor of everyday life as someone who needs an attendant show that new perspectives in storytelling open doors to humor and drama that has been mostly passed over previously.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

tropicAces

Jan 11, 2019

Cranston and Hart are great together, in fact put them together in a buddy cop movie or something, but everything else here feels drawn-out and cliché.

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

KeithDow

Jan 15, 2019

This American remake of 'The Intouchables' simply doesn't have the heart of the original.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

PeteDogg1979

Jan 13, 2019

One of the worst films I have ever seen. Kevin Hart is a terrible actor. Just awful.

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

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