“The Upside”
PC: imdb.com
Nicflix
When I stop and think about it, there aren’t many movies that specifically focus on friendship, and I wonder why? There are genres like suspense, comedy and romance, and while friendship can be a tone or theme in any of those, there just aren’t enough “friend-based” movies to the extent of warranting a genre all to its own and I think that’s pretty lame.
That being said, there are a lot of movies and TV shows that depict incredible stories of friendship, and I’m not trying to discount or belittle those. All I’m saying is, there seems to be a LOT of movies out there about romance and love and kissing and — well, I think you get it — but what about good ol’ friendship love? And no, I’m not talking about the all-too-relatable friend-zoned type of love. There just needs to be more movies that embody what it means to BE a friend and the difference friends can make in someone’s life. Friends are the family you choose and they’ll stick around even when you’re dumb and push them away.
“The Upside” is one of those films. Based on the true story of an extremely (and I mean EXTREMELY) wealthy quadriplegic—played by Bryan Cranston—who hires an outrageously unqualified parolee (Kevin Hart) to become his “life auxillary,” AKA caretaker.
This bold decision leads to an unexpected friendship that grows both characters in ways only true friendship can. I gotta be honest, it wasn’t my FAVORITE movie. With Kevin Hart as one of the leads, I was hoping for a little more humor. Not that I didn’t like it! What we got was still good, instead of comedy it just leaned on the more heartwarming side of the spectrum.
My mom would consider this movie “worthy”. So Mom, after a lot of movies you probably wouldn’t love, here’s one you’d approve of!
If you like “The Upside” but wanted a little more romance, you could watch its romantic counterpart, “Me Before You” that came out a few years ago. BUT, there’s a movie similar in concept and in my opinion, better overall that I think everyone should watch—especially those interested in friendship movies and/or caretaking. It’s called “You’re Not You” and out of the three movies that all seem to be in the same category, this one is number one FOR SURE.
But don’t let me decide for you. Watch all three and let me know which one you liked best!
-Your Friendly Neighborhood Movie Guy
Nicholas Morrison is a senior studying graphic design.