Intouchable – movie review

I have always had an affinity for French movies. The French language lends itself to humor, most often dosed with a bit of sarcasm. If it’s served with great wit and timing, by actors with a good chemistry, that’s the recipe for a great movie.

True stories are often a good basis for a movie, and this one actually has a pretty standard plot, borrowing elements from “Scent of a Woman”, Bucket List and other such movies. But the part which elevates this movie to greater heights is the cast. The two protagonists play off each other very well.

They couldn’t be any more different. The rich white man, tetraplegic after a sporting accident, eccentric, and demanding. The black man, with a poor background, an immigrant from Africa, fresh out of the prison, on welfare and bitter about society and everything else.

He turns up for an interview to be the helper for this man and they strike it off enough for the tetraplegic to give this man a trial of one month, despite the better advice of his lawyer, who has the black man all figured out.

There are a few standard vignettes and scenes of two men getting to know each other. A bit of Pretty Woman as the black man is introduced to a ridiculously large mansion and the trapping of wealth. But I can’t tell you how much difference a good pairing makes to the success of a movie and the two certainly hit it off. You even get some romance thrown in, and well, you do want to pick up a pen and write a nice good old styled letter to someone after the show.

You will find funny scenes; some moving ones, and the tight plot keeps it moving nicely.

Now the interesting thing about the show is that despite not having a single explosion or bomb, it manages to impress soundwise too. The surround channels get well used as the two go around Paris, and the bass does get some workout when they drive around. Finally the dialogue is great, and the music used will test your front channels. I decided to get an album of Earth, Wind and Fire after the show.

Highly recommended.