Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Long Lost Former Weinstein Comedy “The Upside” with Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston, Nicole Kidman Finds Home

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Neil Burger’s excellent comedy, “The Upside,” has found a home. STX has partnered with the Weinstein Company’s assets buyer, Lantern, to release the film. No date has been set yet, but it feels like a March movie.

“The Upside” is the American version of the French hit “The Intouchables.” Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart, Nicole Kidman, and Julianna Margulies star in this beautifully made comedy that has potential for a lot of business.

Harvey Weinstein released “The Intouchables” and kept the US rights. He came up with the plan to bring in Hart and Cranston, and certainly Kidman. The Weinstein Company screened “The Upside” in Toronto almost a year ago to a rapturous audience. The plan was an Oscar eligibility run in December and then open in February.

But literally three weeks after the standing ovations at Roy Thomson Hall, Weinstein’s world came crashing down. Within a month his company was gone. “The Upside” became a bankruptcy asset.

I really hope “The Upside” gets a great marketing plan and opening. The people who made it deserve that, and so does the film.

 

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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