America has the Academy Awards. France has the César Awards. Last year there was an amazingly popular French film which was nominated for nine César Awards, winning one of them. While the French film most Americans are familiar with, The Artist (review here), did well at the Césars, I’m talking about The Intouchables, the best movie I’ve seen in 2012 so far.
In The Intouchables, Philippe is a rich aristocrat who is paralyzed from the neck down. Philippe hires an ex-con from the projects, Driss, to be his caretaker. As you can guess, despite coming from two very different worlds, the two men develop a strong friendship.
So what makes The Intouchables so great? First and foremost is the acting. The two leads brought in to carry the film have a chemistry that is simply incredible. How they interact with each other, their back-and-forth, is the result of undeniable talent and connection between the two actors. You are engaged every moment they are on screen together.
Omar Sy (Micmacs) as Driss is the film’s clearest draw. His smile is infectious and the manner in which Sy approaches every scene is very expressive. He’s the kind of person you like, just from his pure charisma, so he can get away with pretty much anything. To give you an idea of how well Sy does, do you remember that César Award that The Intouchables won? Yeah, that was for Best Actor for Omar Sy (his co-star was nominated too). That’s right, Sy beat out The Artist's Jean Dujardin, who won the Oscar for Best Actor in the U.S. Not bad at all.
This is to discount in no way previous César Award winner François Cluzet (Tell No One), the quadriplegic millionaire. Consider for a moment, when I say that Cluzet has just as strong a screen presence as Sy, that Cluzet had to portray his character solely through his words and his facial expressions. It is an impressive feat. And Cluzet is very good, creating a more subtle character than Sy, but one with great depth, quietly indicating a man struggling with years of pain and torment.
This is to discount in no way previous César Award winner François Cluzet (Tell No One), the quadriplegic millionaire. Consider for a moment, when I say that Cluzet has just as strong a screen presence as Sy, that Cluzet had to portray his character solely through his words and his facial expressions. It is an impressive feat. And Cluzet is very good, creating a more subtle character than Sy, but one with great depth, quietly indicating a man struggling with years of pain and torment.
Now, it may not sound like it, but The Intoucables is actually more of a comedy than a drama. And it is one heck of a comedy. Despite being in French (so you’re reading subtitles), not a single joke fails to translate and not a single gag falls flat. Every joke made is funny and pays off. Not many comedies in one's own language can do that, much less a comedy that has a language barrier to conquer as well.
And the humor is a sweet, innocent kind of humor. The Intouchables doesn’t go for The Hangover-type, raunchy comedy. Maybe it’s just because the film is in French, but even when it makes sex jokes, they just seem to be classier. But the film is truly sweet, and warm-hearted. The leads create a real on-screen friendship that audiences really care about. We simply like these guys, because they’re good guys.
There's a French phrase, "Du sublime au ridicule il n'y a qu'un pas," which means, "It's just one step from the sublime to the ridiculous." That's true, and The Intouchables carefully walks that line, being incredibly funny, but never allowing the humor to become too silly and trivialize the film's more serious themes.
Because of course, there are dramatic moments as well. After all, the material is innately serious and we get most of the drama from a subplot about Driss’s family. Unfortunately, this subplot forces scenes when Philippe and Driss are separated, which are the weakest moments of the film. Of course, they’re not bad scenes; they just pale in comparison to the magic of Sy and Cluzet’s scene chewing chemistry.
And the humor is a sweet, innocent kind of humor. The Intouchables doesn’t go for The Hangover-type, raunchy comedy. Maybe it’s just because the film is in French, but even when it makes sex jokes, they just seem to be classier. But the film is truly sweet, and warm-hearted. The leads create a real on-screen friendship that audiences really care about. We simply like these guys, because they’re good guys.
There's a French phrase, "Du sublime au ridicule il n'y a qu'un pas," which means, "It's just one step from the sublime to the ridiculous." That's true, and The Intouchables carefully walks that line, being incredibly funny, but never allowing the humor to become too silly and trivialize the film's more serious themes.
Because of course, there are dramatic moments as well. After all, the material is innately serious and we get most of the drama from a subplot about Driss’s family. Unfortunately, this subplot forces scenes when Philippe and Driss are separated, which are the weakest moments of the film. Of course, they’re not bad scenes; they just pale in comparison to the magic of Sy and Cluzet’s scene chewing chemistry.
Overall, The Intouchables is heart-warming and really, really funny. The two leads are phenomenal together, and even the minor characters have moments to shine and make us laugh. The Intouchables is a huge, international hit and has become the biggest French movie ever. That's rightly so, I'd say. There are many more movies to come out in 2012 and I’m sure The Intouchables will stay high on my list, but for right now, it’s number one.
The Final Word: Go buy a ticket.
(Btw, brace yourself for the American remake that's coming.)
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