The Intouchables
Posted: Tue Apr 23, 2013 7:18 pm
The Intouchables (2011) is an uproariously funny, culturally adroit French movie, based on a real story.
Philippe is a fabulously wealthy quadriplegic looking for a helper for his day-to-day tasks and umm...bodily functions.
Driss is fresh out of jail.
Despite the fact that Philippe hires him over a hoard of other candidates, Driss doesn't even understand Philippe's condition (the experiment with the teapot...oh god!). In the initial stages, he does not even want to be there. He's just come in to get a signature so he can claim the dole.
The Driss realises some of the perks of the job and he and Philippe embark on a series of extremely funny adventures, largely built around the dichotomy of a rich Parisian man who depends for everything on a Senegalese migrant with a dodgy past. Philippe introduces Driss to haute coutre with outrageous results. Driss introduces Philippe to weed and tries to get him laid.
In the end, I'm not convinced that some of this wasn't ad libbed. The chemistry between François Cluzet (Philippe) and Omar Sy (Driss) is that of two real friends. Sy is spectacular. He dominates like few can. His size gives him a screen presence anyway but his antics and characterisation are so powerful that you end up wondering who the movie is about.
In the end, it's about boys being boys and we all love that.
Highly recommended.
(In French with subtitles)
Philippe is a fabulously wealthy quadriplegic looking for a helper for his day-to-day tasks and umm...bodily functions.
Driss is fresh out of jail.
Despite the fact that Philippe hires him over a hoard of other candidates, Driss doesn't even understand Philippe's condition (the experiment with the teapot...oh god!). In the initial stages, he does not even want to be there. He's just come in to get a signature so he can claim the dole.
The Driss realises some of the perks of the job and he and Philippe embark on a series of extremely funny adventures, largely built around the dichotomy of a rich Parisian man who depends for everything on a Senegalese migrant with a dodgy past. Philippe introduces Driss to haute coutre with outrageous results. Driss introduces Philippe to weed and tries to get him laid.
In the end, I'm not convinced that some of this wasn't ad libbed. The chemistry between François Cluzet (Philippe) and Omar Sy (Driss) is that of two real friends. Sy is spectacular. He dominates like few can. His size gives him a screen presence anyway but his antics and characterisation are so powerful that you end up wondering who the movie is about.
In the end, it's about boys being boys and we all love that.
Highly recommended.
(In French with subtitles)