The Intouchables (2011) Review: Friendship Without Pity

Is The Intouchables worth watching?

Yes. The Intouchables is one of the most purely enjoyable films of its decade, a big-hearted comedy about friendship that is funny, moving and never sentimental about disability. The chemistry between Omar Sy and François Cluzet is irresistible, and the film’s refusal to treat its paralysed hero as fragile gives it an energy most feel-good dramas lack. If there is a caveat, it is that the story paints its two worlds in broad strokes, and its view of the Paris suburbs is simpler than real life.

What is The Intouchables about?

The Intouchables follows Philippe (Cluzet), a wealthy aristocrat left quadriplegic after a paragliding accident, who is looking for a live-in carer for his grand Paris mansion. Among the polished, earnest applicants is Driss (Sy), a brash young man from the housing projects who has turned up only to get a signature proving he applied for a job. To everyone’s surprise, including his own, Philippe hires him.

Driss has no training and no tact, and he treats Philippe not as a patient but as a person, teasing him, challenging his tastes and dragging him into experiences his cautious household would never allow. Anne Le Ny plays a member of Philippe’s staff. The film is written and directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano, inspired by a true story. It is a French production in French and runs 112 minutes.

Omar Sy’s star-making energy

Sy is the film’s engine. His Driss is loud, cheeky and irrepressibly physical, but Sy also shows the pride and hurt beneath the swagger, especially in brief scenes with his family. His comic timing is superb, whether he is puzzling over a pretentious painting, mocking an opera performance or turning a stuffy birthday party into a dance floor. The performance won him the César for Best Actor, and it is easy to see why it made him a star.

Cluzet has the harder job. Acting only with his face and voice, he makes Philippe witty, sardonic and deeply lonely, a man who is tired of being pitied and hungry for someone who will treat him normally. His quiet delight at Driss’s audacity is one of the film’s great pleasures.

A crowd-pleaser with real feeling

Nakache and Toledano keep the tone light without ever pretending Philippe’s condition is easy. The film is frank about the practicalities of his care, from the indignities of daily routines to sleepless nights of pain, and its humour often comes from Driss’s refusal to be squeamish. That frankness is what gives the comedy its warmth: the jokes are shared by both men rather than aimed at either of them.

The direction is brisk and unfussy, with a soundtrack that mixes classical piano with soul and funk to mirror the two men’s worlds. Scenes of speed, fresh air and freedom punctuate the story, and they carry real exhilaration because the film has shown how confined Philippe’s life has become.

The broad strokes

The film’s simplicity is part of its appeal, but it has limits. Driss’s life in the banlieue is sketched quickly and sometimes in stereotype, and some critics have argued that the story risks casting a Black character mainly as a tonic for a wealthy white one. The film’s sincerity and Sy’s performance go a long way to answering that charge, yet it is fair to note that this is a fairy tale about class rather than a close study of it.

Who should watch The Intouchables?

It suits almost everyone: viewers new to French cinema, fans of odd-couple comedies, and anyone looking for a film that will leave them happier than they began. At under two hours it moves quickly. There is some strong language, marijuana use and frank discussion of sex and disability, making it best for teenagers and adults.

For more French comedy and drama:

• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, a more poetic and challenging true story about life after paralysis.
• The Artist, another French crowd-pleaser from the same year, playful and nostalgic.
• La Haine, a harder, angrier portrait of the Paris suburbs that Driss comes from.

The verdict

The Intouchables is a joyous, generous film about friendship across class, led by two perfectly matched performances. Its simplifications are real, but its humour, warmth and lack of condescension make it a modern classic that deserves every bit of its popularity.

Rating: 5/5