The French film that challenged ‘The Artist’: ‘Intouchables’ opens in Canada

TORONTO – With its old Hollywood charm, “The Artist” pretty much steamrolled through this year’s movie award season — but there’s one notable prize it didn’t manage to capture.

At France’s Cesar Awards — that country’s equivalent of the Oscars — “The Artist” star Jean Dujardin was edged out for the best actor prize by Omar Sy of “The Intouchables.”

The upbeat tale of a black street-smart hustler and his unlikely friendship with a wealthy white quadriplegic, which opens Friday in Toronto, has struck a chord with French audiences looking for a boost.

“I think we are in a special period in France … it’s a depressed time a little bit,” “Intouchables” co-director Eric Toledano explained in a recent interview.

“So you have a feel good movie appear in the middle of a cold winter, when you turn on the TV (you see) … unemployment … you have many problems. (With this movie) you have just a very simple story about two extreme people who have a human relationship. It’s very pure and simple.”

A large part of the film’s appeal rests with Sy, who is well known to French audiences from his television work. With a dazzling smile and impeccable comic timing, he leaps off the screen as the Senegal-born Driss, who unexpectedly lands a job looking after wheelchair-bound Philippe (Francois Cluzet).

The film is based on a true story, which Toledano and co-director Olivier Nakache learned about through a documentary they watched in 2003. When they eventually felt ready to tell the story through a feature film, they wanted to make sure Sy — whom they’d worked with previously — was on board.

“It seemed impossible to do this story without someone in your mind … it’s a typical French guy from the neighbourhood. (Omar) had a sense of how (the character) works on the street, how he dresses … the slang he’d use.”

Toledano says he and Nakache often called Sy to gather his input as they were writing the screenplay, asking him, for example, how his character would express himself in a certain situation.

Indeed, the two main characters are refreshingly frank with one another as the charismatic Driss upends Philippe’s sombre world. The elder man scolds the younger for relying on government cheques, only to be asked very personal questions about life as a quadriplegic.

“These two characters in real life saved each other by humour,” said Toledano.

“We had to cross the line, every time. The line is there and if you are not across the line, you are not (striking a) good tone. We felt very free about the dialogue and decided to go to virgin territory.”

He added: “It was a great experience to write this movie … very, very (freeing).”

While “The Intouchables” has been a monster smash in France, the film’s North American debut has not been without controversy.

Some U.S. critics have taken aim at the film for what they see as racial stereotypes. Variety critic Jay Weissberg said the film “flings about the kind of Uncle Tom racism one hopes has permanently exited American screens.”

The directors seem flummoxed by such comments.

“Our reaction is we were really surprised because we made an optimistic movie about justice and equality,” said Toledano.

“I think this is an old vestige of … political correctness of American people. They are more racist than they could think. Saying it is a stereotype is to put it again in a stereotype.”

He added: “Omar is one of the favourites of French people … the film is exactly the opposite of this…. I think in the United States … this is a special problem of Americans.”

Despite the debate over the film, review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes shows “The Intouchables” has received overwhelmingly positive notices.

And as for upsetting that other French juggernaut, Toledano reveals that he has sent some playful text messages to his good friend, “Artist” helmer Michel Hazanavicius, about how the director likely has no more storage space for all of his prizes.

Of the adulation for Sy, Toledano says: “It’s a big hug to Omar.”

“The Intouchables” opens Friday in Toronto, in Vancouver and Ottawa on June 8 and in Calgary and Edmonton on June 15.

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