Upgraded

Riverdale’s Camila Mendes stars as ambitious intern Ana in Prime Video romcom Upgraded. Broke and living with her sister and her boyfriend in their cramped New York apartment, Ana finally gets a taste of the life she’s been dreaming of when she impresses her cut-throat art dealer boss Claire (Marissa Tomei) during an important auction. Ana’s reward is to accompany her to London as one of her assistants. After being upgraded to first class on her flight over, she (quite literally) bumps into William (Archie Renaux), the wealthy son of an heiress (Lena Olin), at the airport. The pair hit things off on the plane, however, Ana inadvertently leads Will into believing that she’s a wealthy art dealer.

This flick (directed by Carlson Young) is the quintessential liar revealed plotline. Viewers will see every story beat coming from a mile away, signalled by unsubtle lines of dialogue. This is the kind of film that’s been done countless times, leading to a similar outcome. But while Upgraded retraces some very familiar genre territory, it does so exceedingly well.

A large part of this film’s success can be attributed to the cast’s committed performances, with Mendes being especially delightful. By striking the right balance between ambitious and vulnerable, she ensures that viewers will be rooting for Ana to succeed despite the slate of poor choices she makes throughout the film. Renaux likewise fills the role of charming love interest superbly. The chemistry between the pair may not be as strong as their performances, but the charisma each has onscreen is enough to keep audiences engaged in their romance.  Further rounding out the cast is Derry Girl’s Saoirse-Monica Jack as Ana’s comedy relief BFF Amy. Although she doesn’t get much screen time, she’s nevertheless a welcome addition to the cast who provides most of the early laughs.

The plot itself is the least interesting part of this film. Events progress as expected for the most part and hit many genre tropes along the way. The final act does attempt to inject some intrigue with a surprise reveal towards the end, however, the explanation is convoluted, and its inclusion doesn’t impact where the conclusion was already heading.

Although viewers will have seen plenty of films like Upgraded before, the strong performances from its lead make this romcom an entertaining romp for any movie night. 

Andrew Murray

Upgraded is released on Prime Video on 9^th February 2024.

Watch the trailer for Upgraded here: