'Upgraded' has first-class message beneath the romance

Mar. 8—I feel like we're in a good era for rom-coms. Perhaps not the heights of the late 80s through the 90s, but the past five years have seen a resurgence of the genre, particularly in the streaming market. Perhaps there is a greater call for comfort movies right now ? Or maybe it's just that they are less expensive to make and studios are watching their bottom lines. Regardless of the reason, there have been some really fun films in the past five years. And Carlson Young's "Upgraded, " now streaming on Prime Video, is a great example of where we are.

Ana (Camila Mendes) is the low woman on the ladder at the art firm where she works. But when she helps her boss, Claire (Marisa Tomei), avoid a major embarrassment, she is brought on as an assistant's assistant on a trip to London. After seeing how her colleagues treated Ana, the teller upgrades her to first class for the trip. While in the lounge, Ana spills her cocktail on William (Archie Renaux), and they strike up a flirty conversation on the flight, where Ana tells him that she is the director of the auction house rather than revealing her actual role. As things begin to unravel, Ana must figure out how to save her job and her budding romance with William.

I quite enjoyed this film. It is primarily a breezy little romantic comedy, but along the way, it manages to speak to some deeper themes that make it a bit more memorable than a few others in the genre. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Claire and Ana, probably a little more than even the romance between Ana and William. It was an interesting turn on the "evil, uptight boss " trope, and I was a fan.

The performances in this were well done. Mendes is a talented actor and I hope that we'll see her in a breakout role at some point. Tomei continues to dazzle on screen, taking a character that could be flat and turning her into something more interesting. Anthony Head has a really small part, but he is fully delightful in it. Renaux felt a little flat, but I think that is mostly due to this film not leaning into the romance aspect as much and him not having a lot to work with. That said, he and Mendes had a natural chemistry that made me root for them.

One of the things I loved about this movie was that it goes hard on the topic of women supporting women. While there are certainly moments of pettiness and competition, there are also plenty of moments where we see women lifting one another up, even when that could be detrimental to their own goals. I found that refreshing in this context. Sure, I was hoping Ana would get the guy when the movie wrapped up, but getting the respect of other women would have been enough.

Alise Chaffins is a Morgantown writer who loves movies and sharing her opinions. She reviews a movie from a streaming service every Saturday and one newly in theaters every Sunday. Find more at MacGuffin or Meaning on Substack.