For the first 20 odd minutes, the art-themed romantic comedy “Upgraded” is fun, cute, and entertaining. Then, things go downhill. Camila Mendes plays protagonist Ana, an ambitious art intern, who is sent on a work trip to London, and luckily gets upgraded to a first-class seat, leading to a chance encounter with a handsome young man called Will (Archie Renaux) who mistakes her to be an art director and Ana doesn’t bother to correct him. But this little white lie leads to a lot of adventure for Ana, and eventually also lands her in trouble.
Directed by Carlson Young, “Upgraded” begins with Ana seriously explaining a painting by Hilma af Klint to her sister Vivian (Aimee Carrero) and brother-in-law Ronnie (Andrew Shulz), but the latter couldn’t care less and just wants Ana out of his New York apartment. The whole dynamics between the family was hilarious, plus Aimee Carrero and Camila Mendes look adorable as onscreen sisters. Unfortunately, the sister and BIL are pretty much forgotten after the first few minutes. Marisa Tomei portrays Ana’s boss, Claire, a perfectionist who doesn’t tolerate tardiness and possesses a keen eye for both detail and talent. There’s a subtle “Devil Wears Prada” kind of situation going on with Ana, especially when Claire decides to make Ana her third assistant, but Ana gets to have a lot more fun than you’d imagine.
Even though Camila Mendes is charming, the story is boringly predictable and pushes the problematic cliche – fake it till you make it. So Ana just lies and impersonates her boss without thinking of the consequences of her actions; her white lie morphs into an elaborate deception, which would be considered criminal in the real world, but is supposed to be cute in this romantic comedy. So, her character’s growth in the story is ridiculously magical. A stroke of luck and chance meetings turn her career around.
“Upgraded” started out as a relatable tale of a girl trying hard to make it to New York, and then just lying and pretending to be something she is not. Lying gives Ana exclusive access to rich boy William’s fancy circle of artists, including his flamboyant actor mom Catherine (Lena Olin). Lena Olin is gracefully riveting as the rich, beautiful Catherine, who loves to get drunk and host parties; her lifestyle feels out of a Jazz Age novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ana is able to leverage her newfound friendship with Catherine in the art world. The writers should have just tweaked the script and focused on making this a story about platonic relationships instead of the barely-there romance.
The cinematography is visually pleasing, but it really doesn’t matter in the second-half of the film, because of the cliched plot developments. If you want to watch a heart-warming romance that starts with two strangers meeting at the airport, watch “Love at First Sight” on Netflix.
“Upgraded” is available on Prime Video though.
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