Upgraded - Amore, arte e bugie

I approached this film expecting the light hand that is typically characteristic of a romance comedy. Unfortunately, the ride was incomplete in several respects. The narrative relies heavily on hackneyed truisms, and its attempt to incorporate modern socio-political thought-namely, progressive and feminist opinion-comes across as occasionally self-consciously didactic and is one step removed from the naturalistic flow of the picture.

Even as the film succeeds in creating atmosphere where it matters with utmost attention in setting and camera work, these are countered by a storyline with an uneven pace and poor development of character. The visual work is clearly impeccable, but the convolutions of the narrative make it hard for audiences to stay invested emotionally the whole way through.

Another point of contention is the ethical lean of the film. It seems to be suggesting that success in life-in much the same way as fairy stories-is a matter of fortune, bestowed upon a single hero figure. This is to underestimate the process of achieving one's goals to the point where destiny becomes more important than concerted effort. The implied message appears to be that the "easy come, easy go" way of life, with periodic suffering and felicitous resolution, is a true picture of how life should be. This picture risks oversimplifying the complexity of real difficulty and potentially unwittingly doing that for the belief that deviation from this narrowly defined ideal will produce displeasure.

Lastly, while the movie excels in the atmospheric and technical aspects, its over-reliance on conventional tropes and a didactic thematic execution leaves much to be desired. A romantic comedy at its best should be capable of striking that delicate balance-delivering both genuine humor and true-to-life character arcs, all while interesting the viewer with an incisive critique of personal challenges and growth. Subsequent productions in the genre would benefit from further streamlining of their narrative technique to pay tribute both to current concerns and the enduring nature of genuine romance.

Liked the tone of this show. Self deprecating humor. Camilla Mendes stars as an auction house assistant who gets upgraded to first class. That leads to her pretending to be her boss. Like Working Girl. These set in Europe rom coms can be a little superficial but this one brings you into the art world. And the scenery doesn't overwhelm the story. The glamorous world of auction houses and art folks in London is a nice change. Things work out quite neatly.

Marisa Tomei is quite good here as the Devil Wears Prada type boss. Quite a transformation with the accent and persona. Camilla Mendes is watchable and intelligent looking and it is nice to see her out of Riverdale. She can do different and more mature roles now. Lena Olin is quite fun to watch. Archie the love interest isn't well cast. Does not have the privileged vibe.

She did treat him badly and he told her off but what made him forgive her wasn't shown.

An entertaining enough watch.

6.6/10 (Semi-Recommend)

This film was a bit better than I expected. The acting isn't half bad. It's a little off from one or two, but the overall chemistry, whether good blood or bad, works well. The story is decent told, but it feels too overused at this point. Cute girl bumps into cute guy on travels and they fall for each other. The pacing is good. Everything clips along at a good pace. Barely any downtime throughout. My biggest peeve is how much the sound fluctuates. It will go from very loud to very quiet and everything in-between. Overall, it does work out to be a decently enjoyable film and is possibly worth at least one watch through if you're into the semi-cheesy romcom genre.

That's all for now. Thank you for taking the time to read my review. Until next time.... Enjoy the show!

Camila Mendes is Ana, originally from Florida and, with an art degree, is a lowly assistant in a big name New York auction house. She is pretty broke, she sleeps on the futon in a very small apartment her sister shares with her boyfriend. On this fateful day her boss calls, she is told to go with them to London. Right now! There is a big art collection that needs to be auctioned off.

Ana is given an unexpected gift at the airport check-in, the agent sees how badly her catty co-workers were treating her so gives her an upgrade to first class. Thus the name of the movie.

In first class she sits next to a nice young British man and in the conversation she says something that leads him to believe she is the head of the auction house and she doesn't correct him. After all they don't know each other, she will probably never see him again and it felt good to feel important. But as the story develops it works out way differently.

Marisa Tomei is Claire, Ana's hard-driving boss, who speaks and sounds just like Celine Dione.

I like Tomei, she is good in everything, and I became a Mendes fan for her role as Veronica in the TV series 'Riverdale.' The two other assistants to Claire are overly annoying bullies in the workplace, a bit over the top I found, but otherwise it is a very well put together movie.

My wife and I enjoyed it, streaming on Amazon Prime, after our usual Saturday evening steak and wine dinner. With chocolate cake, of course!

Greetings again from the darkness. There is something to be said for 'fake it 'til you make it', but most of us find bold-faced lying is a bit more difficult to root for. There is also something to be said for keeping to the familiar path, as therein lies safety. Adhering to the familiar is exactly what actress-turned-director Carlson Young has accomplished with the script from co-writers Christine Lenig, Luke Spencer Roberts, and Justin Matthews. We know where this is headed once we hear Anna interpret a piece of art she has mounted (without permission) in the small apartment her sister and (overly boisterous) brother-in-law have allowed her to stay since she's in debt and without income.

Anna (Camila Mendes, "Riverdale) is chasing her dream of owning an art gallery, and has relocated to NYC for an internship at an art auction house run by dragon-boss Claire DuPont (Oscar winner Marisa Tomei in full Miranda Priestley mode). The Romantic Comedy formula kicks in pretty quickly as Anna gets a break at work and is invited to accompany Claire and her 'mean girl' minions to London for a big auction. Those minions (Fola Evans-Akingbola and Rachel Matthews) act as cruel stepmoms to Anna's Cinderella. The required meet-cute happens after Anna's titular upgrade to first class. While enjoying the airport spa, Anna accidentally dumps her Bloody Mary on rich boy Will's high-dollar clothes and shoes.

Anna and Will (Archie Reneax, THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER, 2022) are of course seated next to each other in first class for the transatlantic flight. It's at this point where she chooses to avoid clarifying her role at the auction house, allowing Will (he's rich and he adores kids!) to believe she's the youngest Director in company history. This lie spirals as Anna weaves her way into the daily life of princely Will and his wealthy mom Catherine (Lena Olin, her must see film is THE UNBEARABLE LIGHTNESS OF BEING, 1988). Supporting work comes from Anthony Head as dead-by-design artist Julian Marx, and Thomas Kretschmann (KING KONG, 2005) as Arnold, the head of the company.

Every step of the story is predictable, and no apologies are necessary since this is precisely what fans of Hallmark Movies can't get enough of. Ms. Mendes flashes the charm required for the role, and she's surrounded by some other very talented folks. For those who prefer a bit more depth to characters and storylines, you likely already know this one's not made for you. But for those who find pleasantry in the safe path with no surprise twists ... a journey where the lovely liars get all the breaks since their heart is in the right place ... this one's for you.

Opens on February 9, 2024 on Prime Video.