01.10.19

PW OPINION PW NEWS PW LIFE PW ARTS
•FILM•
BY CARL KOZLOWSKI
CAPSULE REVIEWS
BY CARL KOZLOWSKI
Stepping‘Up’
COMIC SUPERSTAR KEVIN HART TAKES A DRAMATIC SWING WITH
BRYAN CRANSTON IN ‘THE UPSIDE’
Sooner or later, seemingly every major star comedian wants
to prove that they can be serious artists as well. The annals
of filmdom are riddled with hundreds of heartfelt projects by
our funniest stars, most of which wind up being ignored by their
fans as they either go back to being goofballs or slide out of showbiz
altogether.
This week marks Kevin Hart’s turn for getting serious, as he
stands toe to toe with the multiple Emmy-winning acting legend
Bryan Cranston in the new dramedy “The Upside.” And given that
much of Hart’s appeal has been rooted in hysterically screaming
and whining his way through seemingly dozens of films, it’s a nice
surprise to find he has some quality acting chops.
The film follows an African-American man named Dell (Kevin
Hart), who has always sweet-talked his way through life and
shirked true responsibility, including paying child support for his
preteen son. When his probation officer tells him he has to find
three signatures from prospective employers proving that he is
looking for work within the next 24 hours or go back to prison, Dell
scrambles and stumbles into the penthouse apartment of a paralyzed
millionaire named Philip (Bryan Cranston).
Philip and his assistant Yvonne (Nicole Kidman) are trying to
find a new caretaker for him, and the millionaire takes an instant
interest in the streetwise Dell because of his take-no-prisoners
attitude and sass. Philip has been depressed since an accident
paralyzed him and killed his wife, and even has orders to not be
resuscitated if he chokes, but Dell is determined to help him regain
his zest for living while Philip teaches Dell to set higher goals and
standards for himself.
These higher standards pertain particularly toward Dell’s barely
existent relationship with his ex-girlfriend and mother to his teenage
son. As Dell moves into the penthouse for the job and makes
the biggest paychecks of his life, however, he quickly becomes
more responsible and a better man.
But when Dell tries to convince Philip to meet a mysterious
woman with whom he has a longstanding and long-distance romantic
correspondence via letters, things go awry and the two men find
that trying to improve and change one’s life can be far more complicated
than expected.
Based on the smash-hit 2011 French movie “The Intouchables,”
which in turn was based on a real-life friendship between two Parisian
men, “The Upside” nonetheless stands on its own merits as a
vibrant movie with many positive life lessons. Each of the two leading
men has universally relatable issues that audience members
will surely find extremely affecting.
Hart delivers his deepest, most nuanced performance to date
in a role that bounces between drama and comedy repeatedly
throughout the movie. Cranston pulls off the remarkable feat of
delivering a powerful performance using only his face, due to his
character’s paralysis.
And Kidman provides sweet support as the woman who quietly
yet strongly ensures that Philip’s life is running as best it can, yet is
wary of Dell’s boisterous presence in his life.
“The Upside” is a beautifully told story about the impact that
people can make in each other’s lives, and a life-affirming tale of
a man learning to regain his spirit after tragic circumstances. It is
filled with kindness and yet is also very funny in many scenes, as
Hart and Cranston establish a terrific chemistry together.
As we launch into a new year, filled with hopes and a short-lived
determination to make our lives better, a film like this can serve as
an extra level of inspiration. In January, which is usually filled with
films being dumped from the trash heaps of major studios, finding
a gem like this is indeed an upside. n
“THE UPSIDE”: A
Bryan Cranston, Nicole Kidman and Kevin Hart in ‘The Upside’
VICE
Stars: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve
Carell
Length: 132 minutes
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Rating: R
Bale is utterly amazing in this off-the-wall
biopic of Dick Cheney, who manipulated
his way into having more power than any
Vice President in history. Writer-director
McKay brought the 2008 financial meltdown
to vibrant Oscar-winning life in "The Big
Short" and makes this nearly as engaging.
Grade: B
WELCOME TO MARWEN
Stars: Steve Carell, Leslie Mann
Length: 116 minutes
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Rating: PG-13
One of the biggest disappointments of the
year finds the Oscar-nominated Carell and
Zemeckis struggling to find the right tone
or a coherent storyline in recounting the
remarkable true-life tale of an artist who
created a WWII-style town with miniatures
and dolls as therapy to overcome PTSD from
a beating. The movie is a tonal mess, veering
wildly between quiet contemplation and
violent fantasies, and is impossible to get
emotionally involved with. Grade: D
MARY POPPINS RETURNS
Stars: Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda
Length: 130 minutes
Directed by: Rob Marshall
Rating: PG
Blunt and Miranda do an excellent job filling
the shoes of screen legends Julie Andrews
and Dick Van Dyke in this sequel to the 1964
children's classic. Technological advances
make this film more stunning than the
original, while retaining the heart and spirit of
the best perfectly. Grade: A
THE MULE
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper,
Dianne Wiest
Length: 116 minutes
Directed by: Clint Eastwood
Rating: R
Clint Eastwood comes out of acting
retirement yet again to play a 90-yearold
failure who suddenly gets a chance to
redeem himself through insane riches when
he unwittingly becomes a mule for a Mexican
drug cartel. Cooper is the agent who tries to
bring him down, yet has a grudging respect
for the man's passion. A thoughtful thriller
that's a solid companion to "Gran Torino."
Grade: A
GREEN BOOK
Stars: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali
Length: 130 minutes
Directed by: Peter Farrelly
Rating: PG13
This terrific true-life dramedy deserves
to sweep the Oscar nominations, and has
already claimed the first Best Picture critics
prize of 2018 from the National Board of
Review. Mortensen and Ali make magic in
the story of an ill-educated white bouncer
who helps drive and protect a highly cultured
black pianist on a concert tour of the early
1960s Deep South. Simply terrific. Grade: A
32 PASADENA WEEKLY | 01.10.19