In the realm of art imitating life, or maybe life imitating art, the story of director Tom Shadyac very closely resembles that of French comedy hit, The Intouchables. Shadyac was once a top flight director with films such as Ace Ventura, The Nutty Professor, Bruce Almighty and the sequel, Evan Almighty. But then he suffered a terrible injury that nearly left him paralyzed. He made a documentary titled I Am, about his slow recovery and the decision to give up his wealth and excess. Now he's ready to make a comeback to Hollywood filmmaking, and it's as director of the American remake of The Intouchables.
The film, about a rich white quadriplegic who becomes best friends with his black Senegalese caretaker, was a huge hit in France and the global market. While it performed well here during its brief theatrical run, many took issue with the racial dynamics at play between the two lead characters. Bridesmaids director, Paul Feig, is handling the script and he'll probably have to tweak some of the humor for it to work on our shores. I personally loved the original, finding it to be a funny and heartfelt buddy comedy. Omar Sy should have bumped Denzel out of the running for Best Actor. Period.
Last we'd heard, Chris Tucker and Colin Firth were eying the two lead roles, which would make for one pair I never expected to see. Shadyac may be able to bring a personal outlook to the material, and it's just plain good to see him ready to tackle a project such as this again.
