Jean-Paul’s Rating: 3/5 stars
Bottom Line: A reasonably entertaining Odd Couple movie. Kevin Hart did not annoy me. Bryan Cranston is still a better comedic actor.
I will see Bryan Cranston in anything. I will avoid Kevin Hart like the plague. What is one to do when a movie like “The Upside” comes along starring both? See the movie, apparently.
“The Upside” is an occasionally endearing American remake of a, I have heard, much much better French film called “Les Intouchables” which broke box office records in France. I would like to see that movie instead. It is not that “The Upside” is bad. There are plenty of good laughs and the chemistry between Cranston and Hart is pretty good most of the time. It’s just that it’s formulaic. Worth seeing, just not worth seeing again. Or wasting your time writing a review about. Ok, perhaps that’s a bit too harsh. The basic premise is a quadriplegic billionaire named Phillip Lacasse (Bryan Cranston) hires an ex-con named Dell Scott (Kevin Hart) to be his caregiver and they learn important life lessons from each other. And because it’s an American movie, you also have to shoehorn in a love interest in the form of Phillip’s former business partner, Yvonne Pendleton (Nicole Kidman).
Bryan Cranston is always awesome and so is Nicole Kidman even if her role is limited. I was also happy to see Julianna Margulies show up in a small part as a pen pal of Phillip. Then there’s Kevin Hart. I dislike his shtick. Even before his recent homophobic non-apology apology tour that lost him the Oscars hosting gig. His shtick appears for brief moments in this movie, but thankfully not much. When he turns that off, he’s a decent actor. I mean he’s no Bryan Cranston or Nicole Kidman or Julianna Margulies, but there is definitely some potential there. I hope he explores it more.
Anyone know of a way to see “Les Intouchables”? Go see that instead. Take me with you. If not, “The Upside” is an enjoyable enough movie to fill your time. It has a little bit of soul and a little bit of comedy and a little bit of Hart. See what I did there?