Shamelessly feel-good and sentimental but it works despite how simplistic it all is

Rating: Null/10 (4 December 2013)

I'm not sure how I came to be watching this film; I had heard of it some time ago and added it to the queue without knowing too much about it other than it was successful in its home market. Supposedly based on a true story, the plot sees a rich quadriplegic employ a rather colorful young man to be his new live-in caretaker. We open the film with a flash-forward but quickly go back to the start of the relationship and quickly are let in on the ground floor regarding how this film will be. Basically Philippe is uptight and locked within himself mentally almost as much as physically, while Driss is carefree and very different from those in Philippe's world. Will the odd-couple become friends and perhaps benefit one another's lives somehow? Well, only time (and the genre) will tell.
Of course this is pretty much what happens but you know this from the odd-couple comedy/drama feel that it has from the getgo and it is fairly shameless about doing it. There isn't really a depth to the film but rather a superficial but entertaining pace and plot. It feels cynical for the most part but yet somehow it works if you can get through some cringe-inducing "heart-warming" moments. A big part of it working is plain and simply the two actors in the lead roles. Neither gives a brilliant performance individually but together they have real chemistry and their banter and shared moments do have a certain genuine and intimate feel that is all down to the delivery. By themselves Cluzet is solid and Sy clowns it up for all he is worth, but yet both are quite charming and likable all the way to the end.
Ultimately it is fairly shameless crowd-pleasing fare which airbrushes life into a series of fun set-pieces. It really never touches a real nerve but it is still enjoyable thanks to the warm tone and strong chemistry between the two leads.