REVIEW | The Intouchables (2012)

From the producer of 2012 Oscar Best Picture The Artist comes another hit French film that broke box office records in France and across Europe, going down in history as one of the most successful French movies of all time.

The Intouchables, based on a true story, focuses on the unlikely and touching friendship of an extremely rich disabled man and his ex-con Sengalese caregiver from the ghettos. Philippe (François Cluzet), a bored tetraplegic who lives in a mini castle in Paris, hires Driss (Omar Sy), a crass and vulgar black man who has no intentions of getting the job in the first place. And so we follow how two men from entirely different worlds find joy in each other's company...and making a huge difference in each other's lives.

The story is rather simple:  a rich man and a poor man developing a genuine friendship. But what makes the movie engaging is the shining personalities of the two men and how well they click together. Philippe is stiff, reserved, and sophisticated, with zero skills in courting women; and Driss is the opposite: outspoken, relaxed, uneducated but street-smart, and he knows what he wants and gets it. Get them talking and the result is pure comedy.

Omar Sy, who has won several awards for his role as Driss, beating The Artist's celebrated Jean Dujardin for the César du cinema award for Best Actor, is actually the star of the film. What makes Driss' character in this movie deliciously entertaining is his unabashed vulgarity, cheerful disposition, his riotous sense of humor, and the fact that he's not intimidated with Philippe and his world. Driss speaks his mind, and we always love hearing the blunt truth. He says things that we usually edit out in our heads, and hearing them spoken before a stiff, wealthy man is funny and liberating. Think Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in Rush Hour; Omar Sy and François Cluzet deliver their own memorable brand of comedy and friendship.

The Intouchables is not what you'd call a comedic masterpiece, but it is an absorbing, witty, and heartwarming story, much made more meaningful by the fact that it's based on a true story. You will definitely find yourself wearing a huge grin while watching, in between bursts of laughter.

3.5 out of 5 stars