Amazon’s New Rom-Com Continues 1 Actor’s Winning Rotten Tomatoes Streak

Upgraded, Amazon Prime Video’s latest rom-com, continues one of its lead actors’ winning Rotten Tomatoes streaks — and just in time for Valentine’s Day. Helmed by actor-turned-director Carlson Young, Upgraded has been hailed as a twist on The Devil Wears Prada, a romantic drama classic about the diabolical world of fashion. While Upgraded trades fashion for the fine art world and a first-rate magazine for a world-renowned auction house, it still centers on a young woman who’s pushed to the brink while trying to impress her brutal boss.

Instead of Meryl Streep’s iconic Runway Magazine editor Miranda Priestly, Upgraded boasts a new rom-com classic character in Marisa Tomei’s Claire DuPont — an auction house curator and director who expects nothing less than perfection. When ambitious intern Ana Stantos (Camila Mendes) impresses the demanding Claire with a last-minute, reputation-saving assist, Claire invites Ana to join her on a London work trip. After being upgraded to a first-class seat, Mendes’ Ana meets the charming Will (Archie Renaux). Thinking she’ll never see him again, Ana indulges in a white lie about her career.

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Camila Mendes Continues To Strike Comedy Gold With Upgraded

Camila Mendes made her screen debut as the ever-confident Veronica Lodge on The CW’s Riverdale. Recently, the genre-spanning Riverdale was dubbed “My Julliard” by Charles Melton (May December), Mendes’ former co-star. Needless to say, the seven-season teen drama prepped Mendes and her peers for all sorts of future film endeavors. That said, the actor’s glowing Rotten Tomatoes streak proves that Camila Mendes is the perfect comedic lead — no matter the sub-genre. In Upgraded, she brings much-needed sincerity to the role of Ana, all while capturing the character’s wit and determination.

When Will mistakes Ana for being the director of the art auction firm, she indulges in the white lie mainly because she’s dreamed of success for so long. Since there’s nothing conniving about Ana’s fib, the snowball effect is incredibly entertaining (and painfully plausible). Plus, Ana realizes that acting the part can lead to success, which further complicates her feelings about what she’s done. Upgraded definitely sticks to the tried-and-true rom-com formula, but Mendes’ charming, earnest, and funny performance reiterates that one should never devalue their self-worth — in career, life or love.

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Do Revenge & Palm Springs Prove Camila Mendes’ Comedic Range

While working on Riverdale, Camila Mendes lent her talents to the supporting casts of a few other rom-coms, including 2018’s The New Romantic and the following year’s The Perfect Date. Mendes followed both of those outings with a supporting role in Hulu’s standout science-fiction rom-com, Palm Springs. Starring Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti, Palm Springs centers on two misanthropes who get stuck in a time loop during a wedding. Camila Mendes, who plays Palm Springs‘ bride, even boasts a few scene-stealing moments.

In 2022, Mendes cemented her place in movie history with Do Revenge, a black comedy that pays homage to teen-comedy classics. Mendes plays the selfish, popular Drea, a teen who’s intent on keeping her family’s middle-class status a secret from her wealthy peers. After Drea becomes an outcast, she teams up with new student Eleanor (Maya Hawke) to exact revenge on the people that wronged them. Full of twists, Do Revenge allowed Camila Mendes to truly showcase her comedic range. Now, from Upgraded to Do Revenge, all five of Camila Mendes’ comedies remain certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.