Untouchable (or Intouchables, for you MMLers) caused a minor stir in France in February when star Omar Sy pipped The Artist's Jean Dujardin to the post to win the César for best actor. In the official year of The Artist, it seemed galling that someone could out-charm Dujardin on his home turf; in reality, however, the two actors have much in common. Both began their careers as television comedians. Both are known for their physicality and winning Cheshire cat smiles. And now, both are the stars of massive break-out international successes. In fact, Untouchable just became the highest-grossing non-English language film of all time. 

As stories come, Untouchable is as tried-and-true as it gets. Philippe (François Cluzet) is a wealthy wheelchair-bound curmudgeon, whose hobbies include wearing cravats and telling people they don't understand opera. Meanwhile, Driss (Omar Sy) lives a hard life in the suburbs of Paris, struggling to keep his young siblings out of gang culture, while still enjoying Earth, Wind & Fire thirty years after they were popular. When Philippe's full-time carer leaves, Driss applies for the job and - you guessed it - culture clash ahoy! The remainder of the film charts their blossoming friendship. Will their initial friction turn into a begrudging kind of respect? Will Driss get over his criminal past and stop stealing Fabergé eggs? Will Philippe stop being such a bloody grump? Answer to all of these: probably, yes.

I must stop being sarcastic now because I actually really enjoyed Untouchable, even if its clichés are easy to mock. The reason Untouchable transcends its clichés is because almost every other part of the film is so beautifully well-conceived. Sy and Cluzet are both talented actors who seem just as natural when becoming annoyed at each other as they do when engaging in a bromance. The dialogue is both genuinely funny and sincerely touching at times. Directors Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano also deserve special praise for the opening scene, which plays likes a self-contained short film full of wit, action and surprise.

While I am not going to claim that Untouchable is a masterpiece, I also advise ignoring its frankly sickening tag-line. It may be the perfect film to watch with your family without someone being uncomfortable or bored. This may seem like faint praise, but when you're sitting around on Boxing Day and the only DVD you have is Antichrist, you'll be praying for Omar Sy to come warm your heart.