The Intouchables wasn't just a huge hit in France, where it was voted the top cultural event of 2011, it was a global comedy smash with more than $400M earned. And the film did well here in the United States, as well, as the feel-good comedy introduced us to the talents of Omar Sy who would go on to appear as Bishop in X-men: Days of Future Past. And now Sy is re-teaming with The Intouchables' directors Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano for their next film, Samba, and the new trailer clearly has the same crowd-pleasing spirit.
Starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Tahar Rahim (The Past), and French rocker Izïa Higelin, the trailer starts off a little somber with Sy portraying an undocumented worker from Mali who winds up in a detention center. There he meets Alice (Gainsbourg), an immigration worker who sees a chance to help him, while at the same time their friendship begins to turn her own life around. Between the jazzy score, lots of dancing, and awkward romantic entanglements this is nearly identical in tone to The Intouchables, but it will be tough to replicate that kind of success. Sy is always a joy to watch and it's good to see Gainsbourg take on something light-hearted again for the first time in forever. Look she's smiling!
We'll update this if an English-subtitled version hits. Samba opens in France this October.
Samba (2014) - Trailer by Unifrance
