Review: Upside

Provident Films will release the DVD of Upside on October 5, 2010, produced by Spyplane Films. The movie easily rises into the top ten of faith and family films released this year. The powerful performance by the lead actors pulled me into the story and kept my interest until the end – Their chemistry worked.

Here’s a snapshot of the story:

The day college recruiters show up to his lacrosse game, Soli White (Randall Bentley, Heroes) sustains a head injury that turns his vision upside down. During his reclamation process he comes across Wren (Leah Sims), a blind coed that helps him to see life from the inside out.

In search to develop his new inner voice, Soli realizes how many people have been trying to control his life. When he starts to feel overwhelmed by the numerous perspectives, he digs deep inside to determine what he truly believes and learns that no matter how life gets a person down, there is always an upside.

Bentley’s performance was spot on, as he molded the character with his outstanding performance. While I would have preferred that writer Kenneth Horstmann dive a little deeper into Soli’s inner passion, Bentley kept my focus on what his character might do next.

Sims’ character drove the sub-plot with her excellent performance. Using cute quips and subtle diplomacy, Wren gracefully led Soli to consider things within, which he’d never seen before. Sims will soon rise to the top and we can look forward to seeing her in more lead roles in the future. 

Upside is definitely in the top ten of faith and family films released this year and for those that support wholesome films, it will make a great addition to their library. Just the high concept of Soli’s vision being turned upside down was enough to energize the first act of the film. However, for those who appreciate evangelistic messages, the story does well, as the gospel is worked into the third act.

I received this DVD free from Provident Films as part of their marketing program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”