{"id":3635,"date":"2019-01-12T14:54:08","date_gmt":"2019-01-12T21:54:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/?p=3635"},"modified":"2019-03-18T13:51:16","modified_gmt":"2019-03-18T20:51:16","slug":"the-upsidw","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/2019\/the-upsidw\/","title":{"rendered":"The Upside \u2013 Wonderful Remake of the French Classic with Well-Founded Laughs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Upside.poster.jpg?resize=152%2C225&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3642\" width=\"152\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Upside.poster.jpg?resize=202%2C300&amp;ssl=1 202w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Upside.poster.jpg?w=506&amp;ssl=1 506w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 152px) 100vw, 152px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Philip is a disabled white billionaire, who\nfeels that life is not worth living. To help him in his day to day routine, he\nhires Del, an\nAfrican American parolee, trying to reconnect with his estranged wife. What\nbegins as a professional relationship develops into a friendship as Del shows his grouchy\ncharge that life is worth living. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Arjun N. comments, \u201c<em>The Upside<\/em> is a wonderful, but very contrived\nremake of the French classic: <em>The Intouchables<\/em>. The superb main duo\nmakes for a variety of heartfelt and well-found laughs.\u201d See his full\nreview below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Upside<br>\nBy\nArjun Nair, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, age 17<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>The\nUpside<\/em> is a\nwonderful, but very contrived remake of the French classic: <em>The Intouchables<\/em>.\nThe superb main duo makes for a variety of heartfelt and well-found laughs. Anyone looking\nfor a packed \u201cJanuary movie\u201d will find a perfect outing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YZJZL7ERXs8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Upside.5.jpg?resize=225%2C150&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3640\" width=\"225\" height=\"150\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Upside.5.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Upside.5.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Upside.5.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Upside.5.jpg?w=1124&amp;ssl=1 1124w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><figcaption>Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston star in THE UPSIDE\nDavid Lee\/Photographer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Inspired by an incredible true story, the movie follows a recently\nreleased ex-convict named Dell (Kevin Hart), as he seeks employment to do right\nby his family\u2019s financial needs and regain their trust. He finds the most\nunusual employment with an offer to care-take the paralyzed billionaire Phillip\n(Bryan Cranston). Most don\u2019t believe in Dell\u2019s capabilities, especially chief\nexecutive Yvonne (Nicole Kidman), with Dell failing, but slowly learning to\ncare-take. Amidst this process, Dell and Phillip form an unlikely friendship\nand journey, bettering themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignleft is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Upside.6.jpg?resize=194%2C225&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3641\" width=\"194\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Upside.6.jpg?resize=259%2C300&amp;ssl=1 259w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Upside.6.jpg?w=603&amp;ssl=1 603w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 194px) 100vw, 194px\" \/><figcaption>Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston star in THE UPSIDE.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-color has-very-dark-gray-color\">Kevin Hart, as Dell, is my favorite\ncharacter, as he steps into newfound dramatic territory and delivers\nexceptionally. As always, his unique sense of humor remains and he is as better\nthan ever with the amicable chemistry he shares with Bryan Cranston. Bryan\nCranston, as Phillip, delivers a gravitas to his character when needed, as his\ncondition make him hopeless. In only a way Cranston can deliver, his journey to regain hope\nand optimism through Dell is very compelling. It also helps that their unique\nbanter is just so funny and intellectually executed. <a>Nicole\nKidman, as Yvonne, is another relatable character, as even she learns to smile\nfrom Dell, despite her disagreements. Her long history with Phillip is well\nsold, as well.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Upside.2.jpg?resize=150%2C225&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3637\" width=\"150\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Upside.2.jpg?resize=200%2C300&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Upside.2.jpg?w=501&amp;ssl=1 501w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><figcaption>Bryan Cranston stars in THE UPSIDE\nDavid Lee\/Photographer<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Neil Burger serviceably directs the movie, with a great eye for scenery,\neven if many scenes fall within a repetitive layout at times. My favorite scene\nis the haircut scene, as it is a fun rendition of the classic French scene and\neven has more nuances of its own. The main problem with this movie comes from\nthe fact that, in comparison to its French counterpart, there really isn\u2019t much\nof a difference with a few scenes and characters having some subtleties. At\ntimes, its pace even takes a hit and even the newer additions don\u2019t fare as\nwell as the original. This can be viewed as a bit of a pro, as sticking with\nthe original does prove to its advantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The message of this film is that a friendship is a relationship most valued\nand will always remain irreplaceable. If we all get along, we will strive\ntowards greatness and a happier mental well-being. I give this film 4 out of 5\nstars and recommend it for ages 10 to 18, because of some sexual references and\nbrief drug use. The movie releases in theaters on January 11, 2019, so check it\nout.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Philip is a disabled white billionaire, who feels that life is not worth living. To help him in his day to day routine, he hires Del, an African American parolee, trying to reconnect with his estranged wife. What begins as a professional relationship develops into a friendship as Del shows his grouchy charge that life is worth living. KIDS FIRST! Film Critic Arjun N. comments, \u201cThe Upside is a wonderful, but very contrived remake of the French classic: The Intouchables. The superb main duo makes for a variety of heartfelt and well-found laughs.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[15],"tags":[68,70,64,69,66,67],"class_list":["post-3635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-feature-film-reviews","tag-bryan-cranston","tag-courage","tag-disabilities","tag-friendship","tag-kevin-hart","tag-the-intouchables"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paS5I2-WD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3635"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3644,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3635\/revisions\/3644"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kidsfirst.org\/kidsfirstnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}