Review of The Intouchables (2011) by Patrick M — 03 Jun 2013

"The Intouchables" is a french light comedy about friendship directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano.

Driss (Omar Sy) is a slacker with no money or ambitions, he goes to a job interview expecting to get rejected and continue to receive his welfare benefits, but ends up getting hired by Philippe (François Cluzet), a rich paraplegic, to be his caretaker. The job then evolves into a friendship.

Its a dramedy, but yet its very easy to watch. Its also a character study, it leaves the plot aside and doesn't try and manipulate you into feeling for the characters, which makes it a different take on disability in movies. The editing is great, starting in media res (the middle), letting us know it is a feel-good movie from the opening scene. Its funny, touching, and inspiring, but don't let those words fool you into thinking its a disney movie.

"The Intouchables" is an uplifting comedy, a real crowd-pleaser. It was a success in France, becoming the second biggest box office hit. It also won many awards, including Omar Sy's well deserved César Award for Best Actor. In my opinion its not only one of the best movies to have come out in 2012, but one of the best to have come out in this decade.

I'd recommend it to people who like either "Scent of a Woman", "50/50", "The Shawshank Redemption", or "Shaun of the Dead".