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The Upside

Name: The Upside
Director: Neil Burger
Released: 2019
Duration: 126 min

Representation Score

5.6/10

Fair

2019

PG-13

Director

Neil Burger

Runtime

126 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The film succeeds by challenging traditional hierarchies, placing a character with physical limitations in a position of economic and intellectual leadership. The central relationship between Dell and Phillip serves as a lens to explore the intersections of race, class, and physical vulnerability. However, the film's impact is constrained by a narrow narrative focus. The emphasis on a male-centric friendship leads to a lack of significant women's ability to drive the story and a complete absence of LGBTQ+ representation. Overall, while the film excels in depicting disability and racial the way different parts of someone's identity overlap, it falls short in providing gender and LGBTQ+ diversity.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Upside have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film focuses solely on heterosexual relationships and does not include any LGBTQ+ characters or narratives that question the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does The Upside portray gender?

Limited

The story centers around a male friendship, with women playing secondary or minor roles, which limits the exploration of women's ability to act.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Upside?

Good

Casting a Black man as the lead character offers a significant non-white perspective. The story explores how race and class intersect to shape the plot.

How does The Upside represent religion and culture?

Good

The film examines class-based social structures and the divide between the elite and working class, highlighting the tension between institutions and underrepresented communities.

Does The Upside include disability representation?

Excellent

The film prominently features a character with quadriplegia, granting the character both intelligence and ability to act rather than reducing them to a stereotype.

Present on Screen

Provides a prominent, respectful depiction of quadriplegia.
Explores the intersection of race and class through a non-white protagonist.
Avoids simplistic stereotypes by focusing on the realities of caregiving.

Limited or Absent

Lacks significant women's ability to drive the story and meaningful gender diversity.
Contains no representation or narratives involving LGBTQ+ characters.
Depends on a traditional, male-centric narrative structure.

Official Synopsis

Phillip is a wealthy quadriplegic who needs a caretaker to help him with his day-to-day routine in his New York penthouse. He decides to hire Dell, a struggling parolee who's trying to reconnect with his ex and his young son. Despite coming from two different worlds, an unlikely friendship starts to blossom.

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