Lovely comedy drama whose heart and soul lies in the lead characters

Rating: 9/10 (5 March 2013)

The Intouchables took the world by storm especially for a "foreign" film. I anxiously waited to see it and I'm so glad I got to. Not only is it one of the best movies I've seen in quite some time but it was deep and touching and funny! It was certainly the best foreign film I have seen in quite some time. It was one of those movies that I think lucked out in the magic department and everything just worked perfectly to create that uncontrollable chemistry that draws people in. The story isn't incredibly unique, we've certainly seen the two people from different worlds forging a friendship before. We've also seen the fish out of water tale of a person from a different social and economic circle thrust into upper class. What makes this beautiful and simply and touching is the absolutely palpable chemistry between Driss and Phillipe played brilliantly by the two lead actors. Whomever made this film completely lucked out finding two actors who are polar opposites physically and have them work so incredibly well together in this movie. I didn't want the movie to end. I wanted to watch their friendship continue and watch more adventures with them, they captured me that much.
This year at the Oscars I thought they REALLY struggled to pick quality performances. There were a few truly outstanding nominations that I agreed with but most were barely supporting actors and still got nominated (Amy Adams, Alan Arkin etc) but they sincerely and unequivocally overlooked both of the stars of this film. François Cluzet is mind blowing as Philippe. The man is completely paralysed and creations emotions, empathy, sadness, happiness, laughter, love, fear, social anxiety...all with his facial expression and his eyes. He gives an incredible performance just in his eyes alone. You feel every single thing he does simply because he absolutely nails this performance. Omar Sy looks and acts the polar opposite of Philippe and yet their chemistry is unbelievable. Sy is hilarious, fast talking, street wise, rough around the edges and emotional. He captures your heart as quickly as he does for Philippe. You understand both of them and watch this incredible bizarre and perfect relationship unfold. Audrey Fleurot and Anne Le Ny were excellent as supporting characters to Philippe and Driss. I wanted to see more from both of their characters and more between them and Driss because they both had very unique relationships to him.
They would have screwed this up but this would have made one incredible TV Series. There was so much content and so much emotion that it could have been an amazing, long running series. But we have this film and it is just incredible. Perhaps my single only critique is that they added some elements of story that got in the way because they never truly get wrapped up or taken care of properly. Philippe's daughter was a very interesting idea but the film is simply too short to deal with that whole relationship so it feels rushed and awkward including Driss' threatening her ex-boyfriend to be nice to her. But that is a very small issue when you look at the big picture. Co-directors and writers Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano have solidified their directorial and writing careers with this film. They will be monstrously huge now and be able to do anything they want. Their direction is terrific and their story is even better but they truly lucked out with Cluzet and Sy because they took this story and created something magical. I don't often talk about the music in a film but the truly lovely and haunting melody from this film sets the tone of the movie and will almost certainly bring tears to your eyes. Whether you love foreign films or are just not jumping into them...this is a reason to because it is amazing. 9/10