This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
There's not much you haven't seen before in the French comedy-drama "The Intouchables," a fact-based story about two men: Philippe (Francois Cluzét), a rich quadriplegic and widower; and Driss (Omar Sy), a Senegalese-born ex-convict who lands a job as Philippe's live-in caretaker.
There are the inevitable scenes in which Driss figures out the full extent of Philippe's disability, the clash of cultures between them (played out in the musical battle between Berlioz and Kool & the Gang), and the gentle camaraderie that blossoms between these two men from opposite ends of the socio-economic spectrum.
What raises one's hopes are the deft comic touch of the writing-directing team Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano, and the unforced charm that Cluzét ("Tell No One") and Sy ("Micmacs") bring to the roles.
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'The Intouchables'
Opens Friday, June 8, at the Broadway Centre Cinemas; rated R for language and some drug use; in French with subtitles; 112 minutes. For more movie reviews, visit nowsaltlake.com/movies.