I think most of us can agree that the new film released on Amazon Prime Video this year, Upgraded, was the rom-com we didn’t know we needed. It centers around a struggling girl in a big city who travels abroad to boost her career and ends up meeting a kind, attractive, foreign man. Actress Camila Mendes and actor Archie Renaux co-star in the film, and have such chemistry as their co-protagonist characters, Ana and William. This film checked so many boxes for me, so if you haven’t seen it yet, I’d strongly urge you to add it to your “to be watched” list. However, if you did see it and were left wanting more like I was, you’re in luck!
After taking a moment to appreciate how cute Upgraded was, I immediately brainstormed any and every film that was similar to it and that I enjoyed. I compiled those I saw best fit and listed them here for your binging purposes. From the working girl theme to the double-life romance to the stories that take place abroad, here are five films that give similar energy to Upgraded.
Crazy Rich Asians (2018)
Starring Constance Wu and Henry Golding, Crazy Rich Asians follows Chinese-American NYU professor Rachel Chu and her long-term boyfriend, Nick Young. The two travel to Singapore for Nick’s best friend’s wedding. It’s the first time that Rachel will be meeting Nick’s family, as well, but what he fails to mention is that they’re super rich, or as the title implies, “crazy rich.”
This film is not only one that I’ve rewatched many times, but it’s also one that shares a lot of the same themes as Upgraded. Just like Ana, Rachel travels to a foreign country for the first time and is perceived as an “ugly duckling” or not quite a part of the group. This outsider persona, however, doesn’t fail her in the realm of love because she experiences a very sweet and endearing romance during her travels.
Crazy Rich Asians is super interesting and offers a new perspective to the rom-com scene. I think it’s the most similar to Upgraded among all the movies on this list, and I couldn’t recommend it enough!
How to Be Single (2016)
This film takes a different romance genre path than what we see in Upgraded, but it matches up with the identity struggles of a working girl in the city perfectly. Don’t worry, there’s still romance!
With Dakota Johnson, Rebel Wilson, and Leslie Mann, How to Be Single follows the trials and tribulations of love with protagonist Alice, a young woman in the New York paralegal scene, among many other singles. There are plenty of approaches to finding love in the city and we see nearly all of them in this film.
Ana and Alice both shoulder the task of finding their identities and navigating city life in their stories, but that doesn’t mean that love doesn’t have a place either. We get to see many different relationships in Alice’s life and how they contribute to her overall story, just as we get to see with Ana. If you’re looking for a “working girl finds love and then herself” kind of movie, How to Be Single is the one.
Monte Carlo (2011)
Whether you know this movie from Selena Gomez’s Disney Channel era or have never heard of it before, I’ll go ahead and highlight it. In Monte Carlo, we get to see Gomez, Leighton Meester, and Katie Cassidy as three girls who take on Paris but have a rather miserable travel tour. However, once Gomez’s character, Grace, is mistaken for a well-known British heiress, the trio is swept on a trip to Monte Carlo (so long as they can hide their true identities).
The love story we see in this film is incredibly similar to the double-life but genuine romance story we see in Upgraded while still offering the magic of the “American goes abroad to Europe and finds love” trope. I adored Monte Carlo and, as someone who grew up with Selena Gomez, I’ll never get tired of the nostalgia it brings!
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003)
A classic rom-com that follows a working girl in the city who unintentionally finds romance, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days stars Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey. In the film, their co-protagonist characters, Andie Anderson and Benjamin Barry, individually make a bet with their coworkers: Andie can make a man break up with her in 10 days, and Ben can get a woman to fall in love with him in 10 days. Once the two are chosen as each other’s romantic partners, they begin their plans. The twist is that neither one of them knows about the other’s bet.
This film mimics Upgraded with the double-life romance once again, but its storyline is particularly interesting since the co-protagonists are played by each other. The chemistry we see between Andie and Ben, no matter how hard they try to fight it, is so incredibly sweet and charming, truly adding to the story. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is perfect for scratching that rom-com itch!
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Lastly, we have 10 Things I Hate About You, starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. We meet Stiles’ character Kat Stratford and her sister Bianca Stratford, who is forbidden from dating unless Kat does (which she has no interest in). When a new student who is enamored by Bianca hears of this, he creates a plan to find someone who will date Kat so he can ask Bianca out. This is where Ledger’s character, Patrick Verona, comes in. But what Patrick doesn’t expect is to end up falling for Kat.
Aside from being a personal favorite of mine, 10 Things I Hate About You shares a few things in common with Upgraded: the romance is super sweet and fun to watch and still focuses on the other life aspects of the female lead. The secrets, betrayals, and true love all prevail, and it’s done very tastefully. Also, the chemistry between Stiles and Ledger’s characters is addicting and can be watched more than once. I mean, who doesn’t love a good “enemies-to-lovers” trope?
Upgraded has set the tone for the 2024 rom-com scene. Until we watch more of those films this year, I hope this list keeps the romance energy going for you!
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