Buddy movies don't come more moving, funnier and more successful than THE INTOUCHABLES, based on a true story about the wealthy, wheelchair bound Parisian millionaire Philippe (Francois Cluzet) whose broken neck is only a small part of his trouble. He has no feelings in his body below the neck, but he feels the loss of his beloved wife with every fibre of his consciousness. Surrounded by his loyal staff in Yvonne (Anne Le Ny), the sexy and mysterious Magalie (Audrey Fleurot) and Marcelle (Clotilde Mollet), Phllippe needs a strong male carer to physically move him around. It's not a job for the faint-hearted, and even the macho Driss (Omar Sy) baulks at some of the personal hygiene tasks he has to perform. But then he never expected to get a job at this luxurious mansion full of antiques and art.
How he came to take the job and how he came to keep it is part of the compelling story that takes us inside this relationship from its inauspicious beginnings through some bumpy but hilarious moments to its exhilarating conclusion. Omar Sy is fantastic as Driss, the young man sent to France from Senegal at age 8 when his own family could hardly cope and his uncle and aunt could use a child.
And just as we learn this and other aspects of his life through his frank exchanges with Philippe, we learn about Philippe's life, too. No two men could be more different, never mind Driss being a poor black guy from Africa and Philippe a rich white man in Paris. The essence of what Driss brings to Philippe is what makes the film so special - because we enjoy it too; his lack of pity for Philippe is a plus, as is his sense of humour, his wicked, flirting ways (Magalie is in his sights from the moment he sees her) and his instinctive response to the circumstances.

This is a remarkable superbly made film, a powerful story and explosively funny. [EDITED]


Urban Cinefile
Copyright Urban Cinefile