Upgraded, directed by Carlson Young from a script written by Christine Lenig, Justin Matthews, and Luke Spencer Roberts, is a romantic comedy set in the art world in New York that leads to a trip to London. Ana Santos (Camila Mendes) is knowledgeable about the art world but has an intern job with little to no income. Ana has been staying on her sister’s and future brother-in-law’s futon for too long. She is called in to work during an art auction, and after her sharp eye finds an error, her demanding boss, Claire (Marisa Tomei), asks her to join her and two other assistants to work at an auction in London.
She dreams of a career in art, but the two assistants treat her more like Cinderella in their disrespectful actions and expectations. They do this so publicly, and through the kindness of the airline agent, she is upgraded to first class on the work trip. She is not used to the perks and looks like a fish out of water. In her awkwardness, (predictably) she meets a young, handsome Will (Archie Renaux). While chatting and learning about each other, he mistakes Ana for her boss – and she does not correct him about being an assistant instead of the director. Predictably, this sets off a chain of events that she must furiously work to cover up. Will is sincerely attracted to her. There are consequences to face, especially when she learns who his mother is – Catherine (Lena Olin) – and she has plenty of art.
The film is just fine as the romantic comedy it is if you are fully aware that there is always a level of predictability in these stories. Some of the characters are spot on (the two arrogant assistants are like the evil step–sisters who must share what they have begrudgingly), while others are not so much. This issue also applies to the humor in some of the scenes. The characters in the art world scenes – especially those of wealth and privilege – look about as accurate as we have seen in films before. Any exaggeration of those individuals may cause the audience a good laugh. Will is passionate about coaching a youth soccer team, so those are great scenes when he proudly talks about them with Ana.
Camila Mendes (“Riverdale” and “Fairfax” TV series, among others) is excellent in the lead role of a broke girl moving into the ranks of high-end art, showing off a range of skills from drama to comedy. She works well in scenes with veteran actors and newer talent. Among the cast members are Anthony Stewart Head, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Rachel Matthews, Andrew Schulz, Grégory Montel, Fola Evans-Akingbola, Aimee Carrero, Jack Hewitt, Renny Krupinski, Paul Hawkyard, Declan O’Connor, Liam Burke, and Thomas Kretschmann.
Catch this film to see Camila’s performance and be ready to watch the next movie, Musica, to have a World Premiere in Austin, TX, at the SXSW Film and Television Festival next month.
Runtime 104 minutes. Rated R
Streaming Globally on Prime Video February 9th
Source: from Amazon MGM Studios