Directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano have struck comedy gold.

Rating: 8/10 (5 November 2012)

Based on a true story, 'Untouchable' is a comedy about the unlikely friendship between Philippe (François Cluzet) and Driss (Omar Sy). Philippe is a wealthy man, paralysed from the neck down due to a paragliding accident. Tired of the sycophancy and pitying care given to him due to his condition and his wealth, Philippe takes a gamble and hires the brutally frank Driss who only applied for the job to keep the benefits office happy.
Philippe gets far more than he bargained for with the charisma whirlwind that is Driss, a young man who is never afraid to say what he thinks or lower the tone and is guaranteed to keep everybody smiling. Theirs is a cross-cultural friendship, drawn together by their mutual honesty and sense of humour. 'Untouchable' is an unashamed crowd-pleaser, the friendship between Philippe and Driss is undeniable and the jokes bounce along at a merry pace. A lot of the humour is based on the clash with cultural stereotypes, the film often lacks subtlety but Sy and Cluzet pull it all off handsomely. There is a lot of playfulness and mischief from both Philippe and Driss, the hilarious opening sequence of Driss speeding through Paris traffic and betting with Philippe that he could get away from the police is priceless.
'Untouchable' is an irreverent take on disability, Driss is hardly subtle with Philippe's condition but his forcefulness and boyish enthusiasm energises Philippe. The film works because Philippe is in on the jokes, it would be too easy for him to be the butt of all the jokes. Philippe is aware of the stuffy bourgeois hypocrisy that he inhabits and perpetuates, and thanks to Driss's anarchic influence plays a great trick on his art dealer. To the films credit there is a lack of sentimentality, nothing is glossed over but its evident what each of their many disadvantages are. Some people may frown at the often patronising stereotyping and the treatment of a character with a disability, but the films heart is in the right place.
Mismatched friendships and cultural clashes are nothing new and 'Untouchable' is often predictable, but when Cluzet and Sy click they're an irresistible double-act to burn through any cynicism you may have left. Directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano have struck comedy gold.