Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart do their best to boost a tired, cliché storyline in The Upside. It isn't enough.
Less than two months after another film (Green Book) about a white savior and a magic black man who come together under unusual circumstances to set each other’s lives back on course, The Upside limps into theaters with almost an identical set of problems as the entertaining but rote Viggo Mortensen-Mahershala Ali awards bait film. While The Upside, like Green Book, boasts generally strong performances from its two charismatic leads--Kevin Hart acquits himself pretty nicely in his first major dramatic role--the work done by Hart and co-star Bryan Cranston cannot save a cliché, manipulative and ultimately shallow movie.
The Upside is based on the 2011 French film The Intouchables, which became a major cultural phenomenon in that country and was itself inspired by the true story of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo...
Less than two months after another film (Green Book) about a white savior and a magic black man who come together under unusual circumstances to set each other’s lives back on course, The Upside limps into theaters with almost an identical set of problems as the entertaining but rote Viggo Mortensen-Mahershala Ali awards bait film. While The Upside, like Green Book, boasts generally strong performances from its two charismatic leads--Kevin Hart acquits himself pretty nicely in his first major dramatic role--the work done by Hart and co-star Bryan Cranston cannot save a cliché, manipulative and ultimately shallow movie.
The Upside is based on the 2011 French film The Intouchables, which became a major cultural phenomenon in that country and was itself inspired by the true story of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo...
- 1/10/2019
- Den of Geek
Bryan Cranston got the jump on would-be critics of his latest film role. The actor stars in “The Upside,” the Hollywood remake of the hit French film “The Intouchables,” a 2011 buddy comedy which follows the unlikely friendship between a wealthy quadriplegic white man (Cranston) and his black ex-con home health aide (Kevin Hart). Both films are inspired by the the real life friendship between French businessman Philippe Pozzo Di Borgo and his French-Algerian caretaker, Abdel Sellou. Both films cast an able-bodied actor in the role of Philippe.
“Well, that’s another business decision,” Cranston told IndieWire about the choice. “Wasn’t even my decision, but maybe that points out to bring more focus on disadvantaged or disabled actors, to be put in positions to have more opportunities and more diversity.”
Indie film actor Adam Pearson, who played opposite Scarlett Johansson in the 2013 film “Under the Skin,” and more recently as...
“Well, that’s another business decision,” Cranston told IndieWire about the choice. “Wasn’t even my decision, but maybe that points out to bring more focus on disadvantaged or disabled actors, to be put in positions to have more opportunities and more diversity.”
Indie film actor Adam Pearson, who played opposite Scarlett Johansson in the 2013 film “Under the Skin,” and more recently as...
- 1/9/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
The 2011 French buddy comedy “The Intouchables” was a surprise box-office hit, in part because the story of a wealthy, white paraplegic and the black assistant who becomes his close friend doesn’t exactly scream for commercial domination. Yet the movie became a bonafide cultural phenomenon in France, finding fans around the world in the process; its premise, inspired by the bonding of a French businessman Phillips Pozzo di Borgo and caregiver Abdel Sellou, provided an easy, formulaic template for celebrating a connection across race, class and age.
Some critics found its racial politics as problematic as “Driving Miss Daisy,” in that both ostensibly found a black man rescuing his bitter white superior from a grumpy, insular existence. That’s a classic trope of American cinema, so it was only a matter of time before “The Intouchables made its way to an English-language remake.
Read More:‘Molly’s Game’ Review: Jessica Chastain...
Some critics found its racial politics as problematic as “Driving Miss Daisy,” in that both ostensibly found a black man rescuing his bitter white superior from a grumpy, insular existence. That’s a classic trope of American cinema, so it was only a matter of time before “The Intouchables made its way to an English-language remake.
Read More:‘Molly’s Game’ Review: Jessica Chastain...
- 9/9/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
After The Artist comes yet another unlikely box-office smash from France. The people behind it reveal why they think it captured audiences' hearts around the world
The French have done it again, striking cinematic gold with another unlikely film. First it was The Artist, a love story embraced by audiences and showered with Oscars even though it is silent. Now an irreverent film about disability has broken box-office records across the world.
Just as the Paralympics are changing perceptions about disability, cinema is pushing at the same boundaries with Untouchable, an uplifting comedy about the friendship that develops between a wealthy quadriplegic, Philippe, and his carer, Driss, an ex-convict.
Audiences are flocking to see it. It has sold nearly three times as many tickets worldwide as The Artist, though it has not yet opened in several major territories – including the UK, Japan, Australia, Scandinavia and Latin America. Box-office takings are a staggering $366m so far,...
The French have done it again, striking cinematic gold with another unlikely film. First it was The Artist, a love story embraced by audiences and showered with Oscars even though it is silent. Now an irreverent film about disability has broken box-office records across the world.
Just as the Paralympics are changing perceptions about disability, cinema is pushing at the same boundaries with Untouchable, an uplifting comedy about the friendship that develops between a wealthy quadriplegic, Philippe, and his carer, Driss, an ex-convict.
Audiences are flocking to see it. It has sold nearly three times as many tickets worldwide as The Artist, though it has not yet opened in several major territories – including the UK, Japan, Australia, Scandinavia and Latin America. Box-office takings are a staggering $366m so far,...
- 9/6/2012
- by Dalya Alberge
- The Guardian - Film News
Amid all the sad news and tragic headlines this summer, it's about time for a positive, life-affirming story. Turns out, there's one headed for a theater near you. The Intouchables is an award-winning, box office record-breaking French film that gets its wide release in U.S. theaters Friday. And it packs quite the uplifting punch. Based on a true story, The Intouchables follows a paralyzed French aristocrat named Philippe (Francois Cluzet) who hires an unlikely caretaker - Driss, a charismatic young con artist (Omar Sy) - and they form a unique friendship. This alternately hilarious and tear-jerking movie has already...
- 7/26/2012
- by Rennie Dyball
- PEOPLE.com
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