Upgraded

An auction house intern ‘upgrades’ her position to impress an English Prince Charming in Carlson Young’s beguiling, smart romcom with more than its fair share of laughs.

Champagne class: Camila Mendes

Carlson Young’s Upgraded never pretends to be anything it isn’t, which is more than can be said for its protagonist. The film is a romantic comedy and it is indubitably romantic – and very funny, too. However, Ana DeSantis (Camila Mendes) is nothing but a lowly intern at a Manhattan auction house who, giddy on her first transatlantic flight, bigs herself up to a handsome stranger. Unaccustomed to the ways of international travel – and excited about her trip to London – she drinks too much champagne and is unaware of the effect she is having on the Prince William (Archie Renaux) in her metaphoric grasp. He really is called William, and while he boasts of his “sophisticated English charm” he, too, may be putting on a show. But Ana is the bigger liar and when one thing leads to another in the British capital, she will rue the day…

Any film that starts with a close-up of Hilma af Klint’s abstract ‘The Swan’ is on a winning wicket. The voice on the soundtrack talks of the painting’s “dualities and lightness, the masculine and feminine, life and death.” “That’s a circle,” argues the masculine voice of reason in the room, the boyfriend of Ana’s sister. Ronnie (Andrew Schulz) is ready for Ana to leave, but you know what the rental of a single room in New York can cost. Ana has a master’s degree in art history but that doesn’t mean she’s not sleeping on her sister’s futon arguing with the boyfriend.

But Ana is smart, and extremely pretty, although the latter counts for little in the company of the toffee-nosed flamingos who haunt the workplace of the eagle-eyed Claire Dupont (Marisa Tomei). To them, Ana is nothing more than something that has crawled onto the sole of their Manolo Blahniks. Then Ana spots a typo in the auction catalogue, an observation that leads to the professional annihilation of one employee and maybe a leg up for Ana. So, she ends up flying to London as Claire’s third assistant, relegated to a later flight thanks to the machinations of the flamingos. However, the JFK ticket agent takes pity on her and upgrades her to first class, leading to what [Prince] William describes as one of those “chance moments [that] can change the course of your life.” So long as you don’t lie through your teeth…

While at times Upgraded feels like it may be stepping on the heels of The Devil Wears Prada, that is no bad thing, and let’s hope that Camila Mendes can hit the same stride as benefitted Anne Hathaway. Many a romcom can rise or fall by the calibre of the acting, and besides its likeable leads, Upgraded is replete with choice turns, from Marisa Tomei’s Fascist boss to Ana’s sorry compatriot in the trenches, Amy, played by Saoirse-Monica Jackson (who laments “I just don’t understand how you can be a great artist and still be alive”). And let’s not forget Lena Olin (as William’s flamboyant mother), who only two years ago actually played Hilma af Klint herself (in Hilma). One may carp at the weathered folds of the formula, but the sparks of comedy, the sparkling performances (Anthony Head is also having enormous fun) and the tourist-friendly shots of London (where it only rains at night) can but leave a spring in one’s heart.

JAMES CAMERON-WILSON

Cast: Camila Mendes, Archie Renaux, Lena Olin, Marisa Tomei, Thomas Kretschmann, Grégory Montel, Aimee Carrero, Andrew Schulz, Rachel Matthews, Fola Evans-Akingbola, Anthony Head, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Jack Hewitt, Juliet Agnes, Akshay Shah, Joe Osborne. 

Dir Carlson Young, Pro Mike Karz, William Bindley, Lena Roklin and Piers Tempest, Screenplay Christine Lenig, Justin Matthews and Luke Spencer Roberts, Ph Mike Stern Sterzynski, Pro Des Andy Holden-Stokes, Ed Bruce Green, Music Isom Innis, Costumes Lance Milligan and Lara de Bruijn, Dialect coach Mel Churcher. 

Amazon MGM Studios/Gulfstream Pictures-Amazon Prime.
104 mins. USA. 2023. UK Rel: 16 January 2024. US Rel: 9 February 2024. Cert. 15.