Intouchables Movie Review by Hady Chehlaoui

I loved this movie. It’s in French, I know, blekh… But, if you know just a little bit of French, combined with the English subtitles will eventually make you not sure if you were reading the English or magically understanding the French.

It’s a funny movie with plenty of witty jokes and some slapstick action. It’s also very touching and moving, but in a nice way. I’ll leave you to Hady’s review below. And by the way, Hady might’ve been a tad bit more moved than I was =P

IMDB Rating: 8.3/10
My Rating: 8/10 

A few months ago, Intouchables was released in France. It slowly became a nation-wide sensation, and broke all French box office records.

Intouchables was released on January 5^th, and I obviously decided to head down to the movies to see what all the fuss was about….

Intouhables is the touching and hilarious true story of two worlds that meet. Philippe, a rich paraplegic aristocrat hires Driss, a young man from an impoverished urban suburb, to care for him, to everyone’s surprise. Driss is certainly not the most qualified candidate, but Philippe appreciates his lack of compassion and pity towards him, which almost makes him feel normal again. On the other hand, Driss appreciates his newfound lifestyle: taking showers in big golden bathtubs, driving Philippe in a Maserati, and flirting with the enigmatic secretary.  However Driss’s past slowly surfaces, menacing both men’s friendship.

Directors Nakache and Toledano deliver a feel-good movie, where Omar Sy (Driss) &François Cluzet (Philippe) both excel in making us lauch, cry, and even cry of laughter at certain times!  The buildup is phenomenal and the film gradually become funnier, till the final scene (which is most likely sponsored by Kleenex) where you’ll probably shed a tear or two!  Keeping in mind that Cluzet only uses his face to express himself, he does a remarkable job conveying all his feelings and emotions, and Omar magnificently emits a wonderful “joie de vivre” which transcends right from the screen right into our hearts.

I strongly encourage all people (even if they don’t understand French) to watch it. I saw it twice in 4 days, and I cannot wait for it to come out on DVD and add it to my personal collection! I guarantee that this movie will shake you to the core, and you’ll leave the theater with a HUGE smile on your face.