Martin Wishnatsky

This film, along with Mule and Green Book, ultimately succeeds not because of the master-servant chemistry but because at bottom it is a drama of family estrangement and reconciliation. The drama of drug running in Mule seems like the dominant plot but ultimately the hero's reconciliation with his family is what turns the heart strings. Similarly, the underlying drama of Scott's estrangement and ultimate reconciliation with his wife and son provide the true emotional impact of Upscale. In a more muted way, Green Book is the same. The piano genius is a lonely figure with no family ties. His driver is a Pisan family man from the Bronx. The closing scene where the pianist joins the driver's extended family for a big Christmas eve dinner provides a gregarious family event that warms the sole of a lonely genius.