Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Phillip is a wealthy quadriplegic who needs a caretaker to help him with his day-to-day routine in his New York penthouse. He decides to hire Dell, a struggling parolee who's trying to reconnect with his ex and his young son. Despite coming from two different worlds, an unlikely friendship starts to blossom.
The Upside is a competent but fairly predictable remake of the French hit The Intouchables, transplanting the story to New York with Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston in the lead roles. The plot follows familiar beats of the odd-couple friendship with few surprises, earning a middling score. Acting is solid — Cranston brings genuine depth to Phillip, and Hart shows more range than usual, though neither quite reaches the heights of the original. Cinematography is functional but unremarkable, with little visual ambition for a New York-set drama. Novelty suffers as a direct remake of a beloved film with a well-known premise, offering little new beyond the casting. The ending is warm and satisfying in a feel-good way without being particularly surprising.