The Intouchables

There is lots to laugh at in Intouchables, the smash hit comedy (based on a true story) that has taken France and the rest of Europe by storm. And while the humour never strays far from the obvious and often clichéd cultural differences between its two main characters, it's a testament to the film's giddy energy that the fun shines through, regardless. Driss (rising star Omar Sy, who won best actor at the Césars, beating out The Artist's Jean Dujardin) is a strapping black man from the banlieues. Fresh out of jail on a robbery charge, he applies for a job as a personal caregiver to a rich white paraplegic man, Philippe (François Cluzet), solely in order to fulfill requirements for his welfare payments. He doesn't actually think he'll get the gig. But tired of the barrage of deadly dull applicants, Philippe is drawn to something in Driss. He decides to give him a shot, and before long the young man goes from living in the slums with his aunt and cousins to having his own presidential suite-style bedroom in Philippe's mansion. The catch? He has to wait on Philippe hand and foot. Much of the humour revolves around Driss's discomfort with the less glamorous aspects of his work; his unfamiliarity with the lifestyles of the rich and refined; and his irrepressibly gregarious demeanour. He hits on Philippe's comely assistant Magalie (Audrey Fleurot) and jokes around constantly with his boss, dismantling traditional notions of hierarchy and the stuffy pretension that comes with money. Philippe gives his employee – who is fast becoming his best buddy – a sense of culture, including an appreciation for opera, classical music and modern art. Again, the laughs here are predictable, but the chemistry between Sy and Cluzet makes the formula work. At the heart of this film is the friendship between two very different men from radically different backgrounds. Based on a true story, the premise has solid roots (remain seated during the credits to see the real duo, Philippe and Abdel). – T’Cha Dunlevy, The Montreal Gazette Official Trailer