Upperworld

Directed by Roy Del Ruth, Upperworld follows family man Alexander Stream (Warren William) as he finds himself falling for a bubbly showgirl (Ginger Rogers’ Lilly Linda). It’s a straight-forward premise that is, for a long stretch, employed to decent yet unspectacular effect by Del Ruth, as the filmmaker, armed with Ben Markson’s screenplay, delivers a slow-paced drama that benefits from its compelling performances and smattering of standout moments – with the latter certainly true of a mesmerizing, stylish single-take tracking shot set within the central character’s offices. There’s little doubt, then, that Upperworld receives a jolt of much-needed energy from an admittedly (and thoroughly) unexpected twist at around the 45 minute mark, and it’s clear that the picture subsequently transforms into a whole other thing (and genre) in the buildup to its somewhat unconvincing happy ending – thus confirming its place as a hit-and-miss endeavor that fares best in its surprising second half.

**1/2 out of ****