Amazon Prime has yet again given its audience another fantastic rom-com, Upgraded. The director, Carlson Young, has done an amazing job of efficiently carving out a love affair between Anna and William. The plot revolves around the double life that Anna tries to live while lying about her profession to the very sophisticated Catherine. For once, the commoner, who had been shunned all her life, wanted to feel included in the elite society. Was it wrong on Anna’s part to try and pretend to be someone else? Will Catherine help her even after knowing her truth? Will William accept Anna the way she is? Let’s find out!
Spoilers Ahead
Why Was Anna’s Life Such A Mess?
Anna was leading a miserable life in New York, spending her days at her sister and brother-in-law’s house because she couldn’t afford to pay rent. She was always feeling unwelcome at her sister’s house, as she was constantly being asked to look for another place to live. Her degree in historical art was not helping her make a living, as she was just working as an intern at Erwin’s training program (an art auction house).
Claire was an over-demanding boss who would keep all her subordinates on their toes, and Anna was no exception. She was always trying to impress her boss so that she could be noticed, hoping to gain a permanent position at Erwin’s. Anna’s life was a complete mess, as her aspirations of becoming an art auctioneer had been trampled by the overly competitive bearings of New York City. There was no room for her passion or for anybody to support her dreams.
Why Was Anna Called To London?
When Anna’s boss, Claire, noticed that Anna was diligent in her work and had been able to point out the mislabeling of one of the arts, she took an interest in her. Claire was incredibly difficult to impress, but she had taken a liking for Anna when she saw her unique interest in the meticulous details of art. Claire asked Anna to come along with her to London to assist in one of the auctions. Meanwhile, Renee and Suzette, the other two assistants to Claire, were extremely rude to Anna and saw her as a competitor who might take their jobs. While they traveled in the first class along with Claire, they had reserved a ticket in the economy class for Anna. One of the airline staff noticed her being mistreated, took pity on her, and gave her an upgrade to first class.
While she was waiting at the lounge, she came across William, on whom she accidentally spilled her drink. She asked him if she could pay for his dry cleaning, but he politely refused. Later, Anna saw that she had been seated right next to William on the plane, and they started interacting. While they were talking about their lives, Anna lied to him and said that she was the director of the Erwin’s New York branch and was going to London for an auction. William seemed quite impressed with her for being a director at such a young age.
Why Did Catherine Take A Liking To Anna?
When William and Anna got off the plane, he introduced her to his mother, Catherine, who was a celebrity in her younger days. Catherine insisted on giving Anna a lift to her hotel. En route, when Catherine got to know about the great heights that Anna had achieved at such a young age, she was immensely impressed. She was so impressed by Anna that she exchanged numbers with her and promised to contact her later. When Anna reached the hotel, she realized that she had left her laptop in the car. However, later, Catherine called her, saying that her laptop was with her and that she would like it if she came to one of the parties that she had arranged.
When Anna went there, she realized that the family was associated with a lot of well-known personalities, including famous painters. When Catherine asked her about which auction house she had been working for, she said that she was with the Erwin house, making Catherine tell her that she was soon going to auction her Brovil collection at Erwin. Anna was petrified, as she thought that her reality would be revealed in front of everyone. She, however, told Catherine that she would be in charge of another auction on that day and asked her not to mention her name to anyone at the auction. Anna said that she did not want others to know that she had personal connections with her clients, as it could hamper her professional image. While discussing the paintings with Anna, Catherine said that those pictures belonged to her late husband. Anna explained to her that the paintings had a hint of romanticism in them, and she was sure that her husband was a romantic person.
How Did Claire Find Out About Anna’s Truth?
While Anna was leading a dual life, she was enjoying her time with William. She was going out on dates with him and enjoying tickets to elite art auctions. Anna was impressing Claire with those tickets, leaving her coworkers baffled. Meanwhile, Catherine had invited Claire to an auction party, where, despite her reluctance, the photographers took her pictures. Just as Anna saw Claire arriving at the party, she ran out, and when William followed her, she told him that she needed some fresh air.
Later, when Catherine canceled the auction, saying that those paintings were her husband’s last memories, Claire was devastated. She was intent on finding out who was behind advising Catherine to cancel the auction. When Claire saw Anna’s picture with Catherine at the party, she realized that Anna was the one who might have tried to dissuade her from the auction. Claire was furious at her for such a lie, and she immediately kicked Anna out of the job!
What Happened After Anna Confessed To All Her Lies?
When Anna was left stranded for options, she approached Catherine and told her all the truth. She told her how she was insecure about her own life and wanted to become someone else for a few days. Instead of getting mad at her, Catherine told her that she was a brilliant actress and that she appreciated her efforts in trying to portray herself as someone she was not. Catherine also told her that she had not walked out of the auction because she was sentimental towards those paintings, but because she wanted a higher price on them so that she could buy a penthouse in Spain.
She told Anna that she would help her if she promised to raise the bid for the paintings. Later, Catherine went to Claire and told her that she was ready to auction her paintings if Anna was put in charge of the auction. Claire agreed to her deal and made Anna the lead for the auction. Anna ensured that the Brovil collection was the biggest auction that her company had ever made by raising the prices of the paintings. Both Catherine and Anna profited from the auction, as Catherine got her fair share of money and Anna got back the respect that she had lost at her organization.
Later, when Anna went to talk to Will, he told her that he had come to know all about her lies from his mother. He seemed to be pretty disappointed and said that he had turned down the job offer from New York as he no longer had any reason to go there. He could not believe that the woman that he had come across and believed to be such a down-to-earth person (despite her success) was not transparent with him. However, after six months, when Anna had become a successful auctioneer, selling paintings of famous artists, William came to meet her. He had probably come to meet Anna because he could not forget her essence even after all those months. It is possible that he had realized that Anna had not been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, and it was okay for her to have craved fame and attention once in her life!
Final Words
Upgraded is not about a flight upgrade that Anna had received; it was all about the upgrade that she had received after meeting William. I wouldn’t call her a golddigger, but the main character was all about lies, which can be a major turnoff for some audiences. Why would she try to pretend to be someone she was not in the first place? She saw nothing good coming out of it, yet she chose to wake up and pretend. However, we were having cold sweats about her lies being exposed, but there was absolutely no drama on William or Catherine’s part after her truth was exposed. To be honest, a bit more drama would have added to the thrill of the plot!
