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The Upside

The Upside

Comedy · Drama · 2019

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.

Movie details

The Upside

“Based on a true story.”

2019 Comedy · Drama 2h 6m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.1 / 10

Community 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.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The Upside?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Neil Burger

Written by

Jon Hartmere

Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart

Dell Scott

Bryan Cranston

Bryan Cranston

Phillip Lacasse

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman

Yvonne Pendleton

Golshifteh Farahani

Golshifteh Farahani

Maggie

Aja Naomi King

Aja Naomi King

Latrice

Tate Donovan

Tate Donovan

Carter Locke

Jahi Di'Allo Winston

Jahi Di'Allo Winston

Anthony Scott

Court is in session

Put The Upside on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.