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Jan 3, 2019 · The Upside true story reveals that the real-life paragliding accident happened in the Savoyard reliefs of Mont Bisanne in the Swiss Alps in 1993 when Philippe was 42. He had been distracted by thoughts of the workers he had laid off and hadn’t been paying enough attention to what he was doing.
In The Upside, Bryan Cranston plays quadriplegic billionaire Phillip Lacasse, who finds new purpose in life through his relationship with his ex-con caregiver Dell Scott (Kevin Hart)....
- 10 The Real-Life Philippe Was Descended from French Aristocrats
- 9 Philippe Was Successful in The Champagne Industry
- 8 Philippe and His First Wife Adopted Two Children
- 7 Abdel Sellou Was An Algerian Immigrant
- 6 Abdel Also Stole from His Employer
- 5 Abdel Was Childless
- 4 Phillippe’s Wife Was Alive When Abdel Met Him
- 3 Philippe and Abdel Had A Number of Hilarious Hijinks
- 2 The Two Eventually Settled Down and Got Married
- 1 The Two Finished Their Professional Relationship on Good Terms
The Movie Depicted Him As An Entrepreneur
In The Upside, Philip Lacasse (Bryan Cranston), is an extremely wealthy entrepreneur who made his fortune buying up failing tech startups and making them successful. The real Philippe di Borgo’s fortune, however, came from a much different source. The di Borgo name is part of the French aristocracy and can be traced back to the 1500s. He grew up surrounded by wealth and opulence, almost all of which he inherited from his noble ancestors. It is an interesting distinction to make in the story a...
Philip's Wealth Was Less Focused On French Culture In The Movie
While he may have grown up rich, the real Philippe added to his wealth by becoming a successful businessman, a trait that he shares with his fictional counterpart. However, rather than Silicon Valley, in The Upside true story Philippe flexed his business strengths within France’s illustrious champagne industry. There, he became involved in two of France’s most popular champagne houses, first at Moet & Chandon, where he worked as a manager, and then later at Pommery, where he became the compan...
Philip's Solitude Was Key To Bryan Cranston's The Upside Character
In The Upside, Bryan Cranston's character is depicted as being childless and alone. But after marrying his first wife in 1973, the real couple would later adopt a son and a daughter, both of whom were originally born in Columbia. Interestingly, The Upside reverses the role of parentage from the true story, making Kevin Hart’s character, Dell Scott, the one with a child. It is an understandable poetic license to take in order to sell the message of the movie better. Having Philip seem like he...
Like Philip, Dell's The Upside Character Is American
Kevin Hart’s character in The Upside, Dell, shares many similarities with his real-life counterpart, Abdel. Both were petty thieves who were incarcerated and became caregivers through a government-sanctioned rehabilitation program. The differences, however, begin with their respective origins. Abdel’s childhood was tumultuous, and he was sent from his native Algeria to live with family in Paris. However, his troubles continued into adulthood, and he was eventually arrested for pickpocketing....
The Items Stolen Was Changed For The Movie
One very specific detail that carried over from the true story behind The Upside to the film occurs at the very beginning. During his interview with Philip, Dell steals a rare, first-edition copy of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. An almost identical scene happened in real life, only rather than a century-old copy of a classic work of American literature, Abdel stole a Faberge Egg, presumably to sell on the street for a small fortune. The moment is a pivotal one to start the...
Dell Was Given A Push On His Path Of Betterment
Part of the motivating factor behind Dell’s decision to work in The Upsidestems from his desire to provide for his child and ex-girlfriend. He wants to prove to his family that he’s changed and can be a better man. The real-life Abdel didn’t have that problem because he did not have any children by the time he met Phillippe. His reason for working for Phillippe began solely with his need for a job. Just as with the change of making Philip childless in The Upside, the choice to give Dell a chi...
Nicole Kidman's Character In The Upside Was Also Changed
By the time Dell meets Philip in The Upside, Philip’s wife has already died of cancer, and it is assumed that several years have passed since then. In reality, Phillippe's wife was still alive by the time Abdel began working as his caretaker, though she did die of cancer shortly thereafter. While it is a very personal detail to have changed in the movie, it is another one that makes sense for the narrative of The Upsideas it would be hard to become invested in the friendship between Philip an...
The Friendship Between Philip And Dell Did Grow Out Of Pranks
It is extremely well documented that once the real-life counterparts of Philip and Dell became friends, they took to throwing pranks and going on silly little adventures. This included souping up Philippe's wheelchair to make it faster, and joyriding around Paris in his collection of exotic cars. Even the scene in The Upside where Philip fakes a seizure to get Dell out of a speeding ticket is identical to a real-life incident when Abdel was caught speeding in Philippe’s Rolls-Royce with Phili...
The Coincidence Behind Their Respective Romances Was Also Omitted
While The Upside ends with the audience being assured that Philip and Dell remain friends to this day, an important detail is left out. Shortly after the publication of the book that would later inspire The Intouchables and its many remakes, Philippe and Abdel went on holiday to Morocco, where Abdel ended up meeting the woman whom he would eventually marry. Interestingly enough, Philip would also end up meeting a woman in Morocco who would end up becoming his second wife. Ironically, this is...
The Real Dell And Philip From The Upside Remained Friends
Like in The Upside, Abdel stopped working as Philippe’s caregiver, but their working relationship ended much more amicablythan how it was depicted. In the movie, Philip's insecurities about venturing outside his comfort zone and the prospect of losing Dell when he starts his own business leads to Philip firing him. In real life, the two parted ways after finding their respective partners, and no such argument occurred between them as it had in the film. Abdel moved back to Algeria with his wi...
Warning: Spoilers for Big Eyes follow. Walter Keane claimed to paint the Big Eyes until his death. Ruling: Fact. Walter (played by Christoph Waltz in the movie) claimed he was inspired by...
Being an English-language remake, that claim's a little dubious. The Upside is based on a true story... sort of. The new movie (directed by Limitless ' Neil Burger) follows ex-con Dell Scott ( Kevin Hart ), who becomes life auxiliary for depressed paraplegic Phillip Lacasse ( Bryan Cranston ).
Plot. Speeding through New York City in a Ferrari, Dell Scott and quadriplegic Philip Lacasse are pulled over by the NYPD. Dell convinces the officers that he is rushing Philip to the emergency room; Philip grudgingly plays along, and the two are escorted to the hospital.
Jan 9, 2019 · The Guardian reported that The Upside is loosely based on a true story, which first told in a 2001 French book called Le Second Souffle (The Second Wind), written by Philippe Pozzo di...
