Upgraded (film)
| Upgraded | |
|---|---|
 Release poster | |
| Directed by | Carlson Young |
| Written by |
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| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Mike Stern Sterzynski |
| Edited by | Bruce Green |
| Music by | Isom Innis |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Amazon Prime Video |
Release date |
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Running time | 104 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Upgraded is a 2024 American romantic comedy film directed by Carlson Young and starring Camila Mendes, Archie Renaux, Thomas Kretschmann, Grégory Montel, Lena Olin and Marisa Tomei.[2]
The film is a modern-day retelling of the classic fairytale "Cinderella"[2]and was released on Amazon Prime Video on February 9, 2024. The story concerns Ana Santos, an ignored-but-ambitious intern in the New York art world whose life and career take a turn when by happenstance she is upgraded to first class on a flight to London.
Plot[edit]
 | This article's plot summary may be too long or excessively detailed. (March 2024) |
Ana is an ambitious intern, dreaming of a career in the art world while trying to impress her demanding boss, Claire. Because of the expensive cost of living in New York, Ana currently lives with her sister Vivian and Vivian's boyfriend Ronnie, who has been urging her to move out. During an auction at work, Ana notices a typo in the catalogue and informs Claire right before it was to be sold. Claire invites Ana to an upcoming London work trip to serve as an assistant to her assistants.
Suzette and Renee, Claire's two assistants, sabotage Ana's ambitions by waiting until the group is boarding their flight to inform her that they have booked Ana an economy ticket on a flight that leaves four hours later. The ticket agent witnesses this mistreatment, and upgrades Ana's ticket to first class. Whilst in the first class lounge, a phone call causes Ana to spill her drink on a wealthy man named William. The two end up sitting next to each other on the flight and hit it off, but Ana accidentally misleads William into believing she is the art director of her company's New York office. Impressed, he introduces Ana to his mother Catherine, a British celebrity.
Suzette and Renee continue to sabotage Ana, assigning her an office in the basement and a room at a separate, cheaper hotel. Ana receives a voicemail informing her that she left her laptop in Williams's car. That night she goes to Catherine’s house to retrieve her laptop and finds herself in the middle of a party. There she sees Catherine's extensive art collection, meets a famous painter, and continues to lie about being the director of a New York auction house.
Suzette and Renee are tasked with getting last-minute tickets to a performance of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, all while offloading their other tasks onto Ana. Desperate to get tickets to impress Claire, Ana visits William who is coaching an at-risk youth soccer league. Her workload causes her to decline a lunch invitation, but William also tells her that there is a party being thrown that evening and his mother, Catherine, wants Ana to attend, and he would like to make it a date.
Suzette is forced to admit that she was not able to get the tickets, and is further embarrassed when Ana shows her up and turns in the tickets to Claire. Background tensions rise as Gerard, the art director for the Paris office, and Claire are both vying for the company’s head director position.
Ana attends the party, with William and Catherine, in a designer dress that she "borrowed" from Claire. When she suddenly sees Claire arrive with Suzette and Renee, she is scared her lie will be revealed and attempts to run off. Will catches her before she leaves and takes her to go dancing at a local bar. At the end of the night, Ana, embarrassed by where she is actually staying, has William drop her off at Claire's much nicer hotel. Before leaving, William confesses that he is falling in love with her.
Over the next week, Ana and William continue to spend time together, growing closer. He tells her he knows her job is important and that he has arranged to transfer his work to New York so that they can continue their relationship.
At the office, Claire praises Ana's hard work and promises that there will be a promotion in her future. Renee interrupts their meeting to reveal that a major client has just pulled out of their upcoming auction. That client is Catherine, and at that same moment, William arrives to surprise Ana at work. She rushes him out of the building. William is suspicious about her behaviour and tells her he had nothing to do with his mother's decision. He questions whether Ana was just using him to secure his mother's sale and breaks up with her.
When Ana goes back into the building she is confronted by Claire, who has discovered her lie and her relationship with William's family. She is fired and escorted out of the building.
Ana visits Catherine and confesses the truth. Instead of being upset, Catherine is proud of Ana for her honesty and agrees to re-join the auction on the condition that Ana is the one who handles the sale. Ana is re-hired and manages to sell Catherine's art for much more than expected. She goes back to the soccer field and apologizes to William, who tells her that he didn't like her because she was rich, but because he thought she was an honest person.
Ana returns to New York, and six months later she has not heard from William, but is thriving in her career. Ana throws a party to celebrate the opening of her own art gallery. At the end of the night, after everyone else has left, William arrives with a suitcase.
Cast[edit]
- Camila Mendes as Ana[3]
- Archie Renaux as William[3]
- Marisa Tomei as Claire[4][5]
- Lena Olin as Catherine[4]
- Anthony Head as Julian Marx[6]
- Thomas Kretschmann as Arnold Grant[6]
- Grégory Montel as Gerard Abel[6]
- Rachel Matthews as Suzette[6]
- Fola Evans-Akingbola as Renee
- Aimee Carrero as Vivian
- Andrew Schulz as Ronnie[6]
- Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Amy[6]
Production[edit]
In August 2022, it was reported that Camila Mendes and Archie Renaux were cast in the film, which entered production in the United Kingdom.[3] The following month, it was announced that Marisa Tomei and Lena Olin were part of the cast.[7]
Release[edit]
Upgraded was released by Amazon Prime Video on February 9, 2024.[8]
Reception[edit]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 77% of 47 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Lightly entertaining even as it hews to genre convictions, Upgraded is an appealing option for anyone seeking a good old-fashioned rom-com."[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[10]
References[edit]
- ^ "Upgraded (15)". BBFC. February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 3, 2024.
- ^ a b "Upgraded' Review: Camila Mendes Takes Flight in a First-Class Cinderella-esque Rom-Com". Variety. February 7, 2024.
- ^ a b c Grobar, Matt (August 18, 2022). "Riverdale''s Camila Mendes To Exec Produce & Star Opposite Archie Renaux In Gulfstream Pictures' Rom-Com Upgraded From Director Carlson Young". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 31, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- ^ a b Grobar, Matt (September 1, 2022). "Marisa Tomei & Lena Olin Join Carlson Young's Rom-Com 'Upgraded' For Gulfstream Pictures". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- ^ "Camila Mendes Deals with an Intimidating Boss Played by Marisa Tomei in 'Upgraded' Trailer (Exclusive)". Peoplemag. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Grobar, Matt (October 28, 2022). "Andrew Schulz & 'Do Revenge's Rachel Matthews Among Six New Additions To Gulfstream's Rom-Com 'Upgraded'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 3, 2022. Retrieved November 3, 2022.
- ^ London, Rob (September 2022). "Marisa Tomei and Lena Olin Join Camila Mendes in 'Upgraded'". Collider. Archived from the original on September 2, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
- ^ DeVore, Britta (January 16, 2024). "Sparks Fly Between Camila Mendes and Archie Renaux in First Upgraded Trailer". Collider. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
- ^ "Upgraded". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ "Upgraded". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
External links[edit]
- Upgraded at IMDb
- Upgraded at Rotten Tomatoes