I look at foreign films with subtitles as I would any film in my native tongue; is it an interesting movie?  Will I be drawn in?  Reading bits at the bottom of a screen has never been a problem for me if the film is good.  So if you’re on the fence about The Intouchables (a French film that has become so popular that it’s France’s highest-grossing non-English language film) don’t worry about reading.  This film will suck you in, and before long you’ll be eagerly awaiting the next bit of text.  Like champagne — another import from France I adore — The Intouchables is a bubbly bit of fun with just the right balance of bitter and sweet.

Writer/directors Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano may be little known here in the States (translation: I haven’t seen any of their other movies, but cooler foreign film buffs may have), but The Intouchables could very well change all that.  This film about a quadriplegic man with lots of money and his lively but broke caregiver hits all the right notes.  It’s pulls the heartstrings without being sappy, it’s fresh without being forced, and it brings to light two actors that I want to see a whole lot more of.  C’est magnifique!

And I’m not magnifique-ing just because one of the stars happens to be extremely good looking.  But let’s get that out of the way right now; Omar Sy is one smokin’ hot dude.  There.  He also happens to be a very talented actor, and his portrayal of Driss, the guy from the “wrong side of the tracks” that finds himself a caregiver is a well-played achievement.  Sy does more than simply play a part, he lets you get inside his character’s head.  Add the smart direction of Nakache and Toledano, and you get a performance that lets you see humor, giddy excitement, anger and edge.  And that’s in French, y’all.

François Cluzet plays Philippe, the quadriplegic man who still wants to enjoy his life.  Movie buffs around here may recognize him because he’s a ringer for Dustin Hoffman from his work in French Kiss.  The on-screen chemistry between Cluzet and Sy is palpable; you can really believe these two would be lifelong BFFs.  Cluzet gives no “swan song” performance (see: Al Pacino in Scent of a Woman, or Tom Hanks in Philadelphia), rather Cluzet has a studied, world-weary demeanor that covers a yearning to still live life to the fullest he’s able.  When Driss enter’s Philippe’s life, there’s a sense of a spark re-igniting in Philippe’s soul.

What starts out as a bet — Philippe telling the cocky upstart Driss that two weeks of caregiver work would be too much for Driss — becomes a real friendship.  What starts out as a battle of musical tastes — Kool and the Gang vs. Chopin — becomes an understanding, then camaraderie.  The Intouchables lets the story play out naturally, and the friendship grows slowly, but takes deep root.  Philippe misses his wife, the love of his life that he’s never gotten over losing.  Driss has problems with his family as well, including an upstart brother who’s just itching to get into deep trouble.  But Driss gets Philippe back out into Paris, and Philippe gives Driss his first taste of opera.

This is a dude film with heart.  It’s The Hangover, but with fewer tigers and Tyson and more real acting and emotion.  Which means this film is one the fellas and the ladies can enjoy without either side feeling like they’re doing hard time for the other’s benefit.  No, don’t roll your eyes; this film is funny and touching, but it has it’s racy and sassy moments as well.  Wanna know what “does it” for Philippe’s quadriplegic, who can’t feel anything from the neck down?  Well, he fills you in.  And it’s pretty damn cool.  What else is cool is Driss’ dance-a-palooza to Earth Wind & Fire’s “Boogie Wonderland”.  Then again if you don’t wanna dance to that song, you’re probably dead inside.

The Intouchables has the good-vibes feeling of a road trip movie without the trip (well, without the all-movie-long trip, at least.)  Bonus points for a soundtrack that uses “Feeling Good”, a wonderful song from The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd (this version performed by the dazzlingly talented Nina Simone).  Subtitles?  For The Intouchables, it’s a must.  Dubbing would only take away the beautiful emotional highs and lows of the actors.  Don’t fear the ‘titles.