Upgraded review

Upgraded doesn’t need to reinvent the rom com genre. All it needs to do — and does very successfully — is work the formula that’s made the genre such a fan favorite for audiences looking for a light, fun escape from reality.

Throw in some attractive leads with solid chemistry, a cute premise possibly with a new twist on a fairy tale and some memorable supporting characters and you’re good. More than just good, Upgraded works because it largely manages to avoid treating viewers like idiots for the sake of a little romance.

Camila Mendes (Dangerous Lies) stars as Ana, whose dreams are to one day own her own art gallery. For now, she’s toiling as a low-level aide to the hard-driving Claire (Marisa Tomei, Spider-Man: No Way Home). It’s hard for any dispassionate, demanding supervisor in this type of setting to avoid comparisons to Meryl Streep’s Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada, but Tomei is game.

Claire’s top assistants, Renee (Fola Evans-Akingbola, Black Mirror) and Suzette (Rachel Matthews, Happy Death Day) easily fit into the wicked stepsisters’ role. Just in case you missed the Cinderella homage.

As an intern, Ana is stuck crashing on the futon at her sister (Aimee Carrero, The Menu) and fiancé’s (Andrew Schulz) place. Ana has long outgrown her welcome, so they’re thrilled when Claire summons Ana to accompany her to London.

In lieu of a fairy godmother, Ana gets a kindly airline clerk. She upgrades Ana’s ticket after watching Suzette and Renee terrorize her. Things are looking up for Ana as she has a meet cute with William (Archie Renaux, Morbius), who coincidentally is seated in the first-class pod next to her.

Over the flight, the conversation flows as easily as the champagne. Right up until William assumes Ana is the boss. And she decides to lean into the assumption. Or outright lies, whichever you prefer.

William is back in London to celebrate this mother’s birthday. Catherine (Lena Olin) is an actress but considers herself UK-famous. That doesn’t stop her from having lavish parties. A frequent guest is Catherine’s BFF, Julian (Anthony Head), one of Ana’s favorite artists.

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Catherine immediately takes to Ana. Even beyond the possibility of just getting William married off and invites Ana to the birthday bash. This puts Ana in an intense juggling act to maintain her lie with William, Catherine and Julian and responding to every whim of Claire, Suzette and Renee.

Claire’s attitude is somewhat explained. She’s locking up her candidacy to replace her retiring boss (Thomas Kretschmann) and her shady London counterpart (Grégory Montel).

Screenwriters Christine Lenig, Justin Matthews and Luke Spencer Roberts smoothly establish Ana and William’s slow burn romance.  And they understand the supporting cast is there to enhance the film — not take it over. Olin, Head and Tomei work their lanes wonderfully bouncing off Mendes instead of pushing her out of center stage.

Mendes has an easy charm that makes her a likable lead, one you’re rooting her lie doesn’t totally derail all of her prospects. And Renaux plays the Brit charmer role with no problem.

Upgraded is the second full-length film from director Carlson Young (Scream: The TV Series), who shows a superb grasp of rom coms. Slapstick mishaps are kept to a minimum. The onus of the comedy is on the characters instead of wacky scenarios for laughs.

Unlike its lead, Upgraded doesn’t try to be anything more than it is to deliver a sweet, enjoyable rom com ride.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Photo Credit: Amazon