Intouchables, Lupin and Omar.

It would be easy for some to dismiss this feel good French movie from 2012 as coy, insulting and yes racist, but I was pretty much charmed by the whole thing mainly because of Omar Sy. This is an early film of his, and he became a major star in France because of it, winning a Caesar award. I never heard of him until I watched Lupin and then took a try at Intouchables the other night. In this one Sy plays a tough street thug with big problems who becomes the caregiver to a very rich man (we never know how he made his big bucks) and who was badly hurt in an accident. Driss played by Sy is a no thank you wise guy who doesn't take nothing from anyone. The movie is a buddy buddy film, French and full of charm and delight. I couldn't help but be taken in by it, mainly because of Omar who has all the makings of being a huge international star. He is a wonderful presence in this and also in Lupin, try taking your eyes off him when he's on screen. There are two marvelous sequences in the film one involves his boss played by Francois Cluzet who takes him along to the opera, where hysteria breaks out from Omar's laughing at the male opera singer dressed as a tree, you have to see it it yourself to get the humor of it, and a sexy dance he does to an Earth,Wind and Fire song. He would be a perfect choice to take on James Bond but I'm not holding my breath for that to happen. In the meantime we have 2 splendid examples of why he is on his way to becoming a very big movie star. Check out Lupin and Intouchables to see why. Both are streaming on Netflix.