Is French Film ‘Intouchables’ Racist?

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Although the movie “Intouchables” is a mega hit in France, it has raised the ire of some American critics who feel the movie portrays the main black characters as baffoonish and uncultured.

Critics have charged that the main character, Driss, is a goofy but fun loving hero who fits the easy stereotype of France’s poor black population. Driss is portrayed as a boogying dancer who just loves to perform for his white benefactors. In one scene where Driss wears a suit, a white character tells him that he looks like President Obama.

The fact that much of the criticism about the movie has come from American critics begs the question of whether the French are too accepting of racist images or whether America’s racist history has made us far too sensitive where issues of race are concerned.

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Is French Film ‘Intouchables’ Racist?