The Intouchables

Director: Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano Olivier Nakache

Overview

Affluent paraplegic Philippe (Fran?ois Cluzet) develops an unexpectedly close bond with his gruff aide, Driss (Omar Sy), in this affecting comedy drama inspired by a true story.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/05/2013
UPC:	0043396413764
Original Release:	2011
Rating:	R
Source:	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMT
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:52:00

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

François Cluzet	Philippe
Omar Sy	Driss
Anne Le Ny	Yvonne
Audrey Fleurot	Magalie
Clotilde Mollet	Marcelle
Alba Gaïa Bellugi	Elisa
Cyril Mendy	Adama
Christian Ameri	Albert
Thomas Solivérès	Bastien, dit le Plumeau
Dorothée Brière	Eléonore
Marie-Laure Descoureaux	Chantal
Joséphine de Meaux	La D.R.H. de la Société
Dominique Daguier	Philippe's Friend
François Caron	Philippe's Friend
François Bureloup	Candidate
Emilie Caen	La Galeriste,Galeriste
Sylvain Lazard	New Auxillary
Jean-François Cayrey	New Auxillary
Ian Fenelon	Candidate
Renaud Barse	Candidate
Michel Winogradoff	Waiter at Deux Magots
Nicky Marbot	Policeman
Benjamin Baroche	Policeman
Jerome Pauwels	Neighbor in Car,Voisin mal garé 1
Antoine Laurent	Neighbor in Car
Fabrice Mantegna	Himself
Hedi Bouchenafa	The Mechanic
Caroline Bourg	Frédérique
Grégoire Oestermann	Antoine
Kevin Wamo	Driss's Friend,Ami Driss
Ludovico Einaudi	Composer
Salimata Kamate	Actor
Dominique Henry	Pilote parapente 2

Technical Credits

Olivier Nakache

Eric Toledano

Olivier Nakache	Director,Screenwriter
Eric Toledano	Director,Screenwriter,Screenwriter
Yann Zenou	Producer
Laurent Zeitoun	Producer
Stephane Batut	Casting
Pascal Armant	Sound/Sound Designer,Sound Effects
Jean-Paul Hurier	Sound Mixer
Nathalie Vierny	Script Supervisor
Herve Ruet	Assistant Director
Nicolas Duval Adassovsky	Producer
Jean Goudier	Sound Editor,Sound Effects
Laurent Brett	Special Effects
Roberto Cappannelli	Sound Effects

Editorial Reviews

Feel-good movies tend to be written off as fluff by cynical film critics, but that's not to say that just because a picture is uplifting means that it's devoid of substance. The second-highest-grossing film in French history, Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano's The Intouchables examines the unlikely friendship that forms between an affluent paraplegic and his gruff caretaker, a convicted criminal with few prospects and a grim future. Occasionally sentimental yet far from maudlin, it succeeds because both of the characters are fully realized and the lead actors share a playful rapport that convincingly transcends class and culture. Inspired by a true story, The Intouchables opens to find Driss (Omar Sy) returning to his family's cramped apartment following a mysterious six-month absence. Kicked out onto the streets by his overburdened mother, the resilient young man applies for a job helping paralyzed aristocrat Philippe (François Cluzet). Convinced that he would never actually qualify for the job, he does it not out of ambition, but instead a desire to get the signature needed to secure his government benefits. But when a casual conversation between the two men leads to a playful exchange about music, Philippe tricks Driss into returning the following morning and hires him on the spot. While they have precious little in common on the surface, the more time Philippe and Driss spend together, the stronger their bond grows. For Philippe, it means finding the courage to let go of his late wife and build up the confidence to start dating again; for Driss, it means doing right by his mother and preventing his younger brother from straying down the wrong path. While The Intouchables doesn't exactly reveal anything new in detailing the odd-couple friendship that forms between Philippe and Driss, it does offer one thing that many films of its ilk do not: a sense of authenticity. Of course, this might be because this story really happened (in a coda we see footage of the real Philippe and Driss soaking in some breathtaking scenery together), but nevertheless, there exists a certain ethereal bridge between Nakache and Toledano's easygoing screenplay and the naturalistic performances of the two leads that prevents the film from feeling overly trite or emotionally manipulative. Sometimes in life the most meaningful relationships can blossom under the most unlikely circumstances, and if we're lucky like Philippe and Driss, we'll be open to the experience. At a time when some of the finest working filmmakers seem to be stuck in the dark (see Christopher Nolan's brooding Batman franchise or David Fincher's jet-black The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo), it's refreshing to see a movie that doesn't equate lightness with mindlessness, and one that also confronts some of life's harsh realities with a sense of levity and hopefulness instead of clichéd millennial fatalism. As a result, it's easy to see why French filmgoers flocked to The Intouchables; few movies manage to show how the radiance of the human spirit can dispel the shadows of the human condition with such knowing nuance, and while it may feel a bit conventional, perhaps that familiarity offers a certain kind of celluloid nourishment that cynicism simply cannot.