It did not take long for Riverdale’s Camila Mendes to find her cinematic sweet spot after the show concluded—just after leading Netflix’s hilariously perfect Do Revenge, Mendes plays another character who tells a big lie. As art intern Ana, Mendes social-climbs her way into a delightful London world brimming with romance and possibility. On the other side of the love bubble: wealthy William (Archie Renaux, The Other Zoey, Shadow and Bone), a charming foil. Upgraded is delightfully simple and pleasantly breezy—an early-year entry into the romantic comedy oeuvre.
Desperate to impress her frigid boss, Claire (Marisa Tomei, My Cousin Vinny, Spider-Man: No Way Home), Ana will go to any lengths, no matter how impossible the task may seem. Ana, who temporarily lives with her sister, already has overstayed her welcome. The only hope she has is to spread her wings. If the art internship does not lead Ana into a full-time gig, her life in New York City is over as she knows it. She will be forced to return back to Tampa, as far from her passion for art as humanly possible. In her push for Claire to let her on the auction room floor, Ana calls attention to a mistake in the auction’s program. Just like that, someone’s “typo” becomes Ana’s one-way ticket into the very world she has been so desperate to discover.
Claire invites Ana along on a work trip to London as a result of this “bare minimum” favor. After a friendly airport cashier upgrades her to first class, Ana surreptitiously spills a bloody mary all over William and his very expensive clothes. This meet-cute, the heart and soul of many rom-coms, plays out over the entire plane ride. Somehow, Ana thinks it perfectly acceptable to tell William that it is in fact she and not Claire who runs the show over at her art gallery. Can Ana pretend to be a bigwig for as long as it takes to get what she needs? It doesn’t take an expert to guess how the rest of this will play out. Who will be the first to uncover Ana’s second identity?
Upgraded will easily garner comparisons to The Devil Wears Prada, She’s All That, and Emily in Paris. The tone may be so familiar, but that is part of why it works so well. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it! Certainly, director Carlson Young (underrated surreal fantasy, The Blazing World) knows what works and what does not. Tomei commands the screen when she leans into full bitch mode, kind of playing against type. Lena Olin (Hunters, The Reader) and Anthony Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Repo! The Genetic Opera) are also excellent as William’s mother and a queer painter, respectively. A clever script wrings maximum drama from its easy setup.
The crowning jewel of the feature though has to be red-hot chemistry between Renaux and Mendes. They share a special energy, one which speaks to that secret ingredient making any rom-com truly special. Upgraded comes up a little short as it nears the finish line, and I think overall it could develop into a stronger television series rather than a movie. The story skirts around Ana’s morality. Does she face a single consequence for what she orchestrates? Yet, there is in irresistible quality to its contagious atmosphere.
Get Upgraded to rom-com comforts with extra leg room, flying onto Prime Video on Friday, February 9th.
