Remember The Intouchables? Yeah, the French buddy comedy was an international smash hit and voted the cultural event of 2011 by French citizens. It was so big, a bunch of remakes were ordered up soon after, not just here but in other countries with versions released in Argentina and India. Hollywood’s remake, titled The Upside because we can’t fathom the original title I guess, has had a long tough road with multiple people attached. But the pairing we ended up with is Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston, who will hope to capture the magic the original film inspired.
The first trailer for The Upside is here and…well, it looks like a Kevin Hart movie. Considering the impact The Intouchables had for this to look so generic is a little disappointing. The film was directed by Neil Burger (Divergent), and centers on a wealthy quadriplegic who becomes unlikely friends with his streetwise assistant despite their cultural differences. In the past we almost had this movie with Idris Elba and Colin Firth with Paul Feig directing and Michelle Williams or Jessica Chastain as the female lead. That fell through, obviously, but man, what might’ve been!
Also starring Nicole Kidman, The Upside opens January 11th 2019. That date doesn’t inspire much confidence, either.
