“The Intouchables” Movie Review

Last weekend, I made it to the mall right before getting hit with more snow. I was on a mission to buy a new Xbox game but knowing that I would be snowed in later, I was looking for a movie as well. I came across this highly acclaimed title called, “The Intouchables.” It was a wonderful movie, which was also a true story, about a wealthy, paralyzed man named Philippe in France looking for a personal care assistant who does not pity him. Philippe and his family interviewed many people that were qualified but lacked understanding of how the disabled want to be treated which is to be treated like any other person. Then they encountered this black man, known as Driss. He only wanted a signature in order to say he did not get hired so he could receive unemployment benefits. He was very rude but he was busting on Philippe about his taste in classical music, something which very few tend to do when interacting with the disabled. They let him come back the next day to sign his paper then. However before going back, Driss gets kicked out of his mother’s house for not finding work and being a thief.

The next day, he returns and Philippe decides to try him out for two weeks and even makes a bet that he can’t last that long. It was very comical when Driss was getting oriented. He shampooed Philippe’s hair with foot cream and really freaked out when learning that he needs to use gloves to disimpact Philippe’s waste. He did actually last and their relationship really started to take off. They went on crazy adventures and rather than driving in a handicapped van they traveled in a sports car, joking that it was more pragmatic. Throughout the rest of the movie they joke about manly things, get massages from women, who may or may not have been prostitutes, and even went skydiving. Eventually Driss left for bigger and better things but before leaving, he set Philippe up on a date with his long term pen pal. By helping and hanging out with Philippe, Driss learned the importance of life and really straightened out his own life by reconciling with his mother and starting a family. What I gathered from this movie was that life is a celebration and can still be enjoyed despite any challenges. In life it seems that experiencing happiness is truly more “pragmatic” than being bitter. It is quite difficult to describe how eye opening this movie was so if you find this movie anywhere check it out. Be forewarned that this movie is in French with English subtitles, which is why I give it 8/10 but it is still certainly worth seeing.