By Jessica Wurst

“The Upside” is an Americanized remake of “The Intouchables” that plays into stereotypes starring a more-serious-than-usual Kevin Hart. Previously seeing the 2011 French hit I was skeptical about Hart having the discipline to play the serious role of Dell Scott, an ex-convict who physically and emotionally nurtures a quadriplegic aristocrat, Bryan Cranston. To my surprise, Hart mastered the seriousness of the character while adding a touch of comedic relief when appropriate. Just as the storyline seemed to spiral into a depressing chain of events, Hart jumped in with a lively attitude to cheer up not only the characters, but also the audience.

An equally impressive aspect of the movie was the ability of just three actors, Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston, and Nicole Kidman, to carry the majority of the two-hour film. As Cranston, played an immobile man it was only natural to have most of the scenes take place within his residence. With the exception of a few other characters, such as Dell’s family, the success of the film rested upon Hart, Cranston, and Nicole Kidman’s shoulders. Fortunately, their performance accomplished the goals of most actors: to create emotion. While equally talented as his co-stars, Cranston had the most difficult acting job due to his immobility. Even so, the combination of his facial expressions and close-up camera shots made his feelings apparent.  However, the actor’s talent does not make up for the lack of action. While attempting, and failing, to throw in a few action scenes for dramatic effect the last thirty minutes of the film left me checking my watch more than once. This motion picture would be much more engaging if it were cut by 30 minutes or had a faster pace.

In addition to the length, “The Upside” failed to provide valuable credibility. With the exception of a tagline that said, “Based on a True Story,” a final headline that claims the two characters remain friends, it did not provide any concrete evidence that these events transpired in real life. Had the filmmakers chosen to provide photographs of the real people, the story would have been significantly more powerful. Instead, though, the audience was robbed of such gratification.

Furthermore, some of the components of the film were stereotypically skewed, as were parts of the original film. Instead of reaching out to the individuals the story is based off of, the writers seemed to be lazy and focused solely on the 2011 film. This hypothesis may also explain why the two pieces have little diversity from one another. In both films the caretaker is a black male. However, Dell is supposedly modeled after Abdel Sellou, an Algerian Muslim. In “The Intouchables” the same character, Driss, is also a black male. Reasons are unclear as to why the writers from both films chose a black actor, as opposed to an Algerian actor, but my suspicion is that this is due to unfortunate stereotypes. Maybe the audience is more likely to view a black man as an ex-convict living in poverty as opposed to a Muslim individual. Maybe the writers predicted that the audience would be less inclined to watch a movie with a Muslim man. Even so, the stereotypes don’t end here. “The Upside” painted Dell as a deadbeat dad. Not only did Sellou not have children, but he was hired due to his lack of family ties and 24/7 availability. This fictional component may have been included to deepen the plot, regardless, the films ‘accuracy should be called into question

Ignoring the suspicious accuracy problems and unnecessary length, the filmmakers achieved the goal of evoking emotion while producing a heartwarming story about platonic love through acceptance. In order to enjoy this film, I recommend focusing on the strongest aspects of the film: the acting and the plot. After all, life is easier when you focus on “The Upside.”