''The Intouchables'' (french: Intouchables, ), also known as ''Untouchable'' in the UK and Ireland, is a 2011 French

buddy Buddy may refer to: People *Buddy (nickname) *Buddy (rapper), real name Simmie Sims III (1993–Present) *Buddy Rogers (wrestler), ring name of American professional wrestler Herman Gustav Rohde, Jr. (1921–1992) *Buddy Boeheim (born 1999), Amer ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film written and directed by

Olivier Nakache & Éric Toledano Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano are French filmmakers, best known for directing the films '' Those Happy Days'' and ''The Intouchables'' (2011). Early life Nakache and Toledano are both Jewish. Nakache was born to Jewish migrant parents fro ...

. It stars François Cluzet and

Omar Sy Omar Sy (, ff, 𞤌𞤥𞤢𞤪 𞤅𞤭, Omar Si; born 20 January 1978) is a French actor, best known in France for his sketches with Fred Testot on the '' Service après-vente des émissions'' television show on Canal+ (2005–2012). He gain ...

. Nine weeks after its release in France on 2 November 2011, it became the biggest box office hit in France, just passing the 2008 film ''

Welcome to the Sticks ''Welcome to the Sticks'' (french: Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis, ) is a 2008 French comedy film directed and co-written by Dany Boon and starring Kad Merad and Boon himself. The film was the highest-grossing French film of all time at the box offic ...

''. The film was voted the cultural event of 2011 in France with 52% of votes in a poll by

Fnac Fnac () is a large French retail chain selling cultural and electronic products, founded by André Essel and Max Théret in 1954. Its head office is in ''Le Flavia'' in Ivry-sur-Seine near Paris. It is an abbreviation of Fédération Nationale d ...

. Until it was eclipsed in 2014 by ''Lucy'', it was the most viewed French film in the world with 51.5 million tickets sold. The film received several award nominations. In France, the film won the

César Award for Best Actor This is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Actor (french: César du meilleur acteur). History Superlatives Winners 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Multiple wins and nominations The following indiv ...

for Sy and garnered seven further nominations for the

César Awards The César Award is the national film award of France. It is delivered in the ' ceremony and was first awarded in 1976. The nominations are selected by the members of twelve categories of filmmaking professionals and supported by the French Min ...

, including the

. Five percent of the movie's profit were given to ''Simon de Cyrène'', an association that helps paralyzed people.

Plot

At night in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, Driss (Sy) is driving Philippe's (Cluzet)

Maserati Quattroporte The Maserati Quattroporte () is a four-door full-size luxury sports sedan produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati. The name translated from Italian means "four doors". The car is currently in its sixth generation, with the first g ...

at high speed. Chased through the streets by the police, they are eventually cornered. Driss claims the

quadriplegic Tetraplegia, also known as quadriplegia, is defined as the dysfunction or loss of motor and/or sensory function in the cervical area of the spinal cord. A loss of motor function can present as either weakness or paralysis leading to partial or t ...

Philippe must get to the emergency room urgently; Philippe pretends to have a

seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with l ...

and the fooled police officers escort them. After arriving at the hospital, Driss drives away. The story of friendship between the two men is then told as a flashback: Philippe, a wealthy quadriplegic owner of a luxurious ''

hôtel particulier An ''hôtel particulier'' () is a grand townhouse, comparable to the Townhouse (Great Britain), British townhouse or mansion. Whereas an ordinary ''maison'' (house) was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side an ...

'', and his assistant Magalie are interviewing potential live-in caregivers. Driss has no ambitions to get hired; he only attends to get a signature on a document proving his interview was rejected, in order to continue receiving his benefits. He is told to come back the next morning to collect his signed document. The next day when Driss returns, Philippe's aide Yvonne greets him, telling him he has the job on a trial basis. Despite being uninterested and inexperienced, he does well caring for Philippe, albeit using unconventional methods. Driss learns the extent of his employer’s disability, aiding Philippe in every aspect of his life. A friend of Philippe's reveals that Driss was imprisoned for six months for robbery, but Philippe does not care about Driss's past. As Driss is the only one who does not treat Philippe with pity, he will not fire Driss as long as he does his job properly. Philippe explains his disability resulted from a

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'p ...

incident and that his wife died without bearing children. Gradually, Driss helps him to organise his private life, including disciplining his precocious adopted daughter Elisa. Driss discovers

modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradi ...

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

and starts

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

. For Philippe's birthday, a private classical music concert is performed in his living room. Philippe educates Driss on famous classical pieces, but Driss only recognizes them as advert music or cartoon themes. Feeling the concert is too boring, Driss plays

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million reco ...

's "

Boogie Wonderland "Boogie Wonderland" is a song by American band Earth, Wind & Fire with The Emotions, released in April 1979 on Columbia Records as the first single from their ninth album, ''I Am'' (1979). The song peaked at number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' da ...

", livening up the party, with the guests also enjoying the music. Discovering Philippe has a purely

epistolary Epistolary means "in the form of a letter or letters", and may refer to: * Epistolary ( la, epistolarium), a Christian liturgical book containing set readings for church services from the New Testament Epistles * Epistolary novel * Epistolary poem ...

relationship with a woman called Eléonore, who lives in

Dunkirk Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.wheelchair A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, used when walking is difficult or impossible due to illness, injury, problems related to old age, or disability. These can include spinal cord injuries ( paraplegia, hemiplegia, and quadriplegia), cerebr ...

to her, but he hesitates and asks his aide, Yvonne, to send a picture as he was before his accident. A date between them is agreed, but at the last minute, Philippe is too scared to meet Eléonore and leaves with Yvonne before she arrives. Philippe then calls Driss, inviting him to fly with him in his

Dassault Falcon 900 The Dassault Falcon 900, commonly abbreviated as the F900, is a French-built corporate trijet aircraft made by Dassault Aviation. Development The Falcon 900 is a development of the Falcon 50, itself a development of the earlier Falcon 20. The ...

private jet for a paragliding weekend in the

Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...

. Driss's younger cousin Adam, in trouble with a gang, comes to fetch Driss at the mansion on the pretext of delivering mail. Overhearing, Philippe recognizes Driss's need to be supportive to his family and releases him from his job, suggesting he may not want to push a wheelchair all his life. Driss returns home, joins his friends and manages to help his younger cousin. In the meantime, new caregivers have replaced Driss, but Philippe is not happy with any of them. His morale is very low and he stops taking care of himself. He grows a beard and looks ill. Worried, Yvonne calls Driss back. Upon arrival, Driss drives Philippe in the

Maserati Maserati S.p.A. () is an Italian luxury vehicle manufacturer. Established on 1 December 1914, in Bologna, Italy, the company's headquarters are now in Modena, and its emblem is a trident. The company has been owned by Stellantis since 2021. Ma ...

, which brings the story back to the initial police chase. After they elude the police, Driss takes Philippe to the seaside. Upon Philippe’s shaving and dressing elegantly, they arrive at a

Cabourg Cabourg (; nrf, Cabouorg) is a commune in the Calvados department, region of Normandy, France. Cabourg is on the coast of the English Channel, at the mouth of the river Dives. The back country is a plain, favourable to the culture of cereal. Th ...

restaurant on the sea front. Driss suddenly leaves the table, saying good luck to Philippe on his lunch date. A few seconds later, Eléonore arrives. Emotionally touched, Philippe looks through the window and sees Driss outside, smiling at him. Driss bids Philippe farewell and walks away as Phillipe and Eléonore chat and enjoy each other's company. The film ends with shots of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and Abdel Sellou, the people on whom the story is based, together on a hillside, reminiscent of the paragliding scene earlier in the film. The closing caption states that the men remain close friends to this day.

Setting

The plot of the film is inspired by the true story of Philippe Pozzo di Borgo and his French-Algerien caregiver Abdel Sellou, discovered by the directors in ''À la vie, à la mort'', a documentary film.

Cast

* François Cluzet as Philippe *

as Bakary "Driss" Bassari * Audrey Fleurot as Magalie * Anne Le Ny as Yvonne *

Clotilde Mollet Clotilde Mollet is a French actress. Theatre Filmography References External links * * French film actresses 20th-century French actresses 21st-century French actresses Actresses from Paris Living people French stage actresses Fr ...

as Marcelle *

Alba Gaïa Bellugi Alba Gaïa Bellugi (born Alba Gaïa Kraghede Bellugi; 5 March 1995) is a French actress of Danish and Italian origin. She is best known for her performance as Elisa in '' The Intouchables'' (2011).Joséphine de Meaux Joséphine de Meaux (born 23 January 1977) is a French actress and director. Career Passionate for comedy since she was young (she went up on stage when she was just 10 years old), she got her first stint in theater at 17 years old. She studied ...

as Nathalie Lecomte * Cyril Mendy as Adama, Driss's cousin * Christian Ameri as Albert * Grégoire Oestermann as Antoine * Marie-Laure Descoureaux as Chantal * Absa Dialou Toure as Mina * Salimata Kamate as Fatou * Thomas Soliveres as Bastien * Dorothée Brière-Meritte as Éléonore * Caroline Bourg as Fred * Émilie Caen as The gallerist

Reception

The film received mostly positive reviews from critics and holds a 75% approval rating at the film review aggregation site

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, based on 122 reviews, and an average score of 6.7/10. The consensus states, "It handles its potentially prickly subject matter with kid gloves, but ''Intouchables'' gets by thanks to its strong cast and some remarkably sensitive direction." On

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, the film has a score of 57 out of 100, based on 31 ratings of professional critics.

Critical response in the UK

The film divided critics in the UK. Upon the film's 21 September 2012 UK release under the title ''Untouchable'', ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' called it "a third-rate

buddy movie The buddy film is a subgenre of adventure and comedy film in which two people are put together and are on an adventure, a quest, or a road trip. The two often contrast in personality, which creates a dynamic onscreen different from a pairing of ...

that hardly understands its own condescension....Why has the world flipped for this movie? Maybe it's the fantasy it spins on racial/social/cultural mores, much as ''

Driving Miss Daisy '' Driving Miss Daisy'' is a 1989 American comedy-drama film directed by Bruce Beresford and written by Alfred Uhry, based on his 1987 play of the same name. The film stars Jessica Tandy, Morgan Freeman, and Dan Aykroyd. Freeman reprised his ro ...

'' did 20-odd years ago – uptight rich white employer learns to love through black employee's life-force. That was set in the segregationist America of the 1940s. What's this film's excuse?"

Robbie Collin Robbie Collin is a British film critic. Collin studied aesthetics and the philosophy of film at the University of St Andrews, Scotland. He edited the university's student newspaper, '' The Saint''. Collin has been the chief film critic at ''The D ...

of ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'' called it "as broad, accessible and trombonishly unsubtle as a subtitled ''Driving Miss Daisy''"; according to Collin, the "characters are conduits for charisma rather than great dramatic roles, but the horseplay between Sy and Cluzet is often very funny, and one joke bounces merrily into the next." Nigel Farndale, also of ''The Telegraph'', said: "The film, which is about to be released in Britain, has been breaking box-office records in France and Germany, and one of the reasons seems to be that it gives the audience permission to laugh with, not at, people with disabilities, and see their lives as they have never seen them before."

Accolades

The film won the Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix award given to the best film at the

Tokyo International Film Festival The is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biennially from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter. Along with the Shanghai International Film Festival, it is one of Asia's competitive film festivals, and is considered to be the ...

and the Award for Best Actor to both Francois Cluzet and

in 2011. At the César Awards 2012, the film received eight nominations.

received the

on 24 February 2012 for the role of Driss (defeating

Jean Dujardin Jean Edmond Dujardin (; born 19 June 1972) is a French actor and comedian. He began his career as a stand-up comedian in Paris before guest starring in comedic television programmes and films. He first came to prominence with the cult TV series ...

, nominated for '' The Artist'') and being the first French African actor to receive this honor. In September 2012, it was announced that ''The Intouchables'' had been selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar for the

85th Academy Awards The 85th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2012 and took place on February 24, 2013, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p. ...

. In December 2012, it made the January shortlist, but was ultimately not selected for inclusion among the final nominees.

Box office

After four weeks, by 25 November 2011, ''The Intouchables'' had already become the most-watched film in France in 2011. After sixteen weeks, more than 19 million people had seen the film in France. On 10 January 2012, ''The Intouchables'' set a record, having been number one for ten consecutive weeks since its release in France. The film has grossed $166 million in France and $444.7 million worldwide as of 12 May 2013. Overland Theater

On 20 March 2012, ''The Intouchables'' became the highest-grossing movie in a language other than English with $281 million worldwide. It broke the previous record set by the Japanese film ''

Spirited Away is a 2001 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten, Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Tohokushinsha Film, and Mitsubishi and distrib ...

'' ($274.9 million), also breaking the record for the highest-grossing French film, surpassing ''

The Fifth Element ''The Fifth Element'' is a 1997 English-language French science fiction action film conceived and directed by Luc Besson, as well as co-written by Besson and Robert Mark Kamen. It stars Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Chris Tucker, and Milla ...

'' ($263.9 million). In July 2012, it became the top grossing foreign language film of 2012 in North America, surpassing ''

A Separation ''A Separation'' ( fa, جدایی, Jodâyi; also titled ''Nader and Simin, A Separation'') is a 2011 Iranian drama film written and directed by Asghar Farhadi, starring Leila Hatami, Peyman Moaadi, Shahab Hosseini, Sareh Bayat, and Sarina Farhad ...

''. The film has also done well in several other European countries, topping charts in Germany for nine consecutive weeks, Switzerland for eleven weeks, Austria for six weeks, Poland for three weeks, and Italy, Spain and Belgium for one week, as of 20 May 2012. * With more than 30 million tickets sold outside France it is the most successful French film shot in French since at least 1994. * In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, it is the fourth highest-grossing French-language film since 1980. * In

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, it is the most successful French film shot in any language since at least 1968. * In

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, it is the most successful French film shot in French since at least 1997. * In

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, it is the second most successful French film shot in French since at least 1994 behind ''

Asterix & Obelix Take on Caesar ''Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar'' (french: Astérix & Obélix contre César) is a 1999 feature film directed by Claude Zidi, the first installment in the ''Asterix'' film series based on Goscinny and Uderzo's Astérix comics. The film combines ...

'' (3.7 million admissions) released in 1999. * In

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, it is the most successful French film shot in French since at least 1994. * In

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, it is the most successful French film shot in any language and the second most successful film from any nationalities behind ''

Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

'', since at least 1995. * In

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, it is the second most successful French film shot in any language since at least 1996 behind '' Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis'' ( admissions). * In

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

, it is the most successful French film shot in any language since at least 1994. * In the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, it is the most successful French film shot in any language since at least 1994. * In

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

, it is the fourth most successful French film shot in French since at least 1998 behind ''

Amélie ''Amélie'' (also known as ''Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain''; ; en, The Fabulous Destiny of Amélie Poulain, italic=yes) is a 2001 French-language romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume L ...

'' (758,201 admissions), ''

Asterix at the Olympic Games ''Asterix at the Olympic Games'' is the 12th comic book album in the Asterix series. Serialized in Pilote issues 434–455 in 1968 (to coincide with the Mexico City Olympics), it was translated into English in 1972 (to coincide with the Munich ...

'' (685,800 admissions) and '' Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra'' (680,010 admissions). * In

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, it is the most successful French film shot in French since at least 2002. * In

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

(French), it is the fourth most successful French film shot in French since 1 January 2000 (as of 29 March 2012) behind '' Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra'' (651,582 admissions), ''

'' (569,523 tickets) and '' The Chorus'' (364,052 tickets sold). * In

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, with 146,000 tickets sold in 5 weeks, it is the 6th most successful French film shot in French since at least 1994. * In

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, it is the most successful French film ever.

Home media

In the United States, the film released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

in March 2013. It grossed in DVD sales, . In the United Kingdom, it was 2013's second best-selling

foreign language A foreign language is a language that is not an official language of, nor typically spoken in, a given country, and that native speakers from that country must usually acquire through conscious learning - be this through language lessons at schoo ...

film on physical

home video Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...

formats, second only to the

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

action film ''The Raid''. It was later the UK's ninth best-selling foreign language film of 2016, and second best-selling French film (behind ''

Victor Young Perez ''Victor "Young" Perez'' , also known as ''Surviving Auschwitz'' in the United Kingdom, is a 2013 French biographical sports drama film depicting the life of the boxer and Auschwitz concentration camp prisoner Victor Perez. The film was direct ...

'').

Television

In the United Kingdom, it was watched by 213,500 viewers on

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...

in 2016, making it the year's third most-watched foreign language film on UK television.

Soundtrack

Ludovico Einaudi Ludovico Maria Enrico Einaudi OMRI (; born 23 November 1955) is an Italian pianist and composer. Trained at the Conservatorio Verdi in Milan, Einaudi began his career as a classical composer, later incorporating other styles and genres such as ...

– "Fly" (3:20) #

– "

September September is the ninth month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars, the third of four months to have a length of 30 days, and the fourth of five months to have a length of fewer than 31 days. September in the Northern H ...

" (3:33) # Omar Sy, François Cluzet & Audrey Fleurot – "Des références..." (1:08) # Ludovico Einaudi – "Writing Poems" (4:09) #

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, pla ...

– "The Ghetto" (4:57) # Omar Sy & François Cluzet – "L'arbre qui chante" (1:01) #

Terry Callier Terrence Orlando "Terry" Callier (May 24, 1945 – October 27, 2012) was an American soul, folk and jazz guitarist and singer-songwriter. Life and career Callier was born in the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and was raised in the Cabrini� ...

– "You're Goin' Miss Your Candyman" (7:18) # François Cluzet & Omar Sy – "Blind Test" (2:21) #

with

The Emotions ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

– "

" (4:45) # Ludovico Einaudi – "L'origine nascosta" (3:12) #

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...

– " Feeling Good" (2:53) # Ludovico Einaudi – "Cache-cache" (3:51) # Angelicum De Milan – "Vivaldi: Concerto pour 2 violons & Orchestra" (3:21) # Ludovico Einaudi – "Una mattina" (6:41)

Remakes

Spanish

''Inseparables'' is a 2016

Argentinian Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or ( feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, ...

remake written and directed by Marcos Carnevale.

Indian

In 2015 it was announced that

Vamsi Paidipally Paidipally Vamshidhar Rao (born 27 July 1979), better known as Vamshi Paidipally, is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works primarily in Telugu cinema. He is best known for directing mainstream film works such as '' Munna'' (2007), ' ...

would be directing an Indian

Telugu film Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...

adaptation titled ''

Oopiri ''Oopiri'' () is a 2016 Indian comedy-drama film directed by Vamshi Paidipally, and produced by PVP Cinema. The film stars Akkineni Nagarjuna, Karthi and Tamannaah while Prakash Raj, Vivek, Ali Basha, Jayasudha, Kalpana, Tanikella Bharani a ...

'', which would also be shot in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

as ''Thozha''. Both versions star

Nagarjuna Nāgārjuna . 150 – c. 250 CE (disputed)was an Indian Mahāyāna Buddhist thinker, scholar-saint and philosopher. He is widely considered one of the most important Buddhist philosophers.Garfield, Jay L. (1995), ''The Fundamental Wisdom of ...

and

Karthi Karthik Sivakumar (born 25 May 1977), better known by his stage name Karthi, is an Indian actor who works predominantly in Tamil cinema. He has won three Filmfare Awards South, an Edison Award, a SIIMA Award and a Tamil Nadu State Film Aw ...

as its male leads. They were released on 25 March 2016. In 2014, rights to ''The Intouchables'' were sold to

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

filmmakers Karan Johar and

Guneet Monga Guneet Monga (born 21 November 1983) is an Indian film producer, executive producer of an Academy Award-winning short, a 2015 BAFTA nominee (for “The Lunchbox”), and the founder of Sikhya Entertainment a boutique film production house that p ...

. Johar's

Dharma Productions Dharma Productions Pvt. Ltd., commonly known and doing business as Dharma Productions, is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Yash Johar in 1979. It was taken over in 2004, after his death, by his son, Karan Joh ...

and Monga's

Sikhya Entertainment Sikhya Entertainment is a film production and distribution company that was established by Guneet Monga and Achin Jain. They have released the films ''Dasvidaniya'' (2008), ''That Girl in Yellow Boots'' (2011), ''The Lunchbox ''The Lunch ...

announced that they would produce a

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

remake, which would be directed by Mohit Suri.

Saif Ali Khan Saif Ali Khan (; born Sajid Ali Khan Pataudi; 16 August 1970) is an Indian actor and film producer who works in Hindi films. Part of the Pataudi family, he is the son of actress Sharmila Tagore and cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. Khan ...

Varun Dhawan Varun Dhawan (; born 24 April 1987) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. One of India's highest-paid actors, he has been featured in '' Forbes India'' Celebrity 100 list since 2014. He has starred in 11 consecutive box-office successes ...

Tamannaah Bhatia Tamanna Bhatia (born 21 December 1989), known professionally as Tamannaah, is an Indian actress who appears primarily in Telugu and Tamil films, along with a few Hindi films. In 2005, she made her acting debut at the age of 15 in the Hindi fil ...

and

Prakash Raj Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi, and Malayalam-language films, he is the recipient of several ...

were reported to be starring in the film.

English

In July 2011, in addition to acquiring distribution rights in English-speaking countries, Scandinavian countries and China,

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America prior ...

acquired the rights to remake ''The Intouchables'' in English. In June 2012,

Paul Feig Paul Samuel Feig (; born September 17, 1962) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He is known for directing films starring frequent collaborator Melissa McCarthy, including ''Bridesmaids'' (2011), '' The Heat'' (2013), ''Spy'' (2015) ...

was slated to direct and write the script, with Chris Rock,

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film ''Ray'', for which he won the A ...

and

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor.

eyed for the role of Abdel, Colin Firth in talks for Phillip, and Jessica Chastain and Michelle Williams considered for a female lead. By March 2013, Feig dropped out of directing, with

Tom Shadyac Thomas Peter Shadyac (born December 11, 1958) is an American director, screenwriter, producer, and author. The youngest joke-writer ever for comedian Bob Hope, Shadyac is widely known for writing and directing the comedy films ''Ace Ventura: Pe ...

in talks to replace him, and

Chris Tucker Christopher Tucker (born August 31, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. Tucker made his debut in 1992 as a stand-up performer on the HBO comedy series ''Def Comedy Jam'', where he frequently appeared on the show during the 1990s. He app ...

was in consideration for Abdel. In October 2014,

Kevin Hart Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums. After winning se ...

was cast as Abdel, with Firth still attached as Phillip. In March 2016, it was announced that

Bryan Cranston Bryan Lee Cranston (born March 7, 1956) is an American actor and director who is best known for portraying Walter White in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2008–2013) and Hal in the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2 ...

was cast, replacing Firth. Simon Curtis was to direct Cranston and Hart from a screenplay written by Feig. By August 2016, Curtis presumably dropped out of directing.

Neil Burger Neil Norman Burger (born November 22, 1963) is an American filmmaker. He is known for the fake-documentary ''Interview with the Assassin'' (2002), the period drama '' The Illusionist'' (2006), '' Limitless'' (2011), and the sci-fi action film '' ...

was announced as his replacement. A script by Jon Hartmere would be used rather than Feig's work. In January 2017,

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

and

Genevieve Angelson Genevieve Rose Angelson is an American actress, best-known for playing Indigo on '' The Afterparty'', Patti Robinson on ''Good Girls Revolt'', and Ruth on '' Flack''. Early life and education Angelson was born in New York City to lawyer and busin ...

joined the cast of the film, then officially titled ''Untouchable''. In February 2017, Aja Naomi King and

Julianna Margulies Julianna Margulies (; born June 8, 1966) is an American actress. After several small television roles, Margulies achieved wide recognition for her starring role as Carol Hathaway on NBC's long-running medical drama series '' ER'' (1994–2009) ...

joined the cast. On 2 August 2017, the film's title was changed to ''

The Upside ''The Upside'' is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Neil Burger, written by Jon Hartmere. It is a remake of the French 2011 film '' The Intouchables'', which was itself inspired by the lives of Abdel Sallou and Philippe Pozzo di Borg ...

''. The film was released on 11 January 2019.

References

External links

* * *
''Intouchables''
at AlloCiné (French)
''Box-office Intouchables'' (French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Intouchables 2011 films French buddy comedy-drama films 2010s buddy comedy-drama films 2011 independent films French independent films 2010s French-language films Films about paraplegics or quadriplegics Films featuring a Best Actor César Award-winning performance Films featuring a Best Actor Lumières Award-winning performance Films scored by Ludovico Einaudi Gaumont Film Company films 2011 comedy films 2011 drama films Films directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano 2010s French films Films about disability