In most Hollywood scripts, the protagonist has a goal. Driss has no goal. He just wants a signature for unemployment benefits. In the PDF, read the job interview scene carefully. Driss is rude, arrogant, and funny. Philippe hires him because he doesn’t pity him. The script never explains this explicitly in dialogue; it happens in subtext. Nakache and Toledano write:
PHILIPPE watches DRISS. He sees no pity in his eyes. Only curiosity.
This is a brilliant piece of action line writing that tells the director and actor exactly what to do without being prescriptive. The Intouchables Script Pdf
Most American films about disability focus on curing the disability or depicting the disabled character as a saint. The Intouchables rejects this. The script explicitly shows Driss forgetting Philippe is disabled—he makes him smoke weed, he puts him in a Maserati, he teases him about his "no arms, no legs" state. Learning how the writers formatted these jokes on the page is a masterclass in tonal balance.
If you are a serious writer, try to locate the original French Intouchables script PDF. The translators faced a unique challenge: French slang (verlan) and cultural jokes do not directly convert to English. In most Hollywood scripts, the protagonist has a goal
Reading both versions side-by-side teaches you a vital lesson: Dialogue is about rhythm, not direct translation. The English script captures the attitude even when the words change.
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Screenwriting guru Blake Snyder talks about a "Save the Cat" moment—where the hero does something likeable early on so we root for them. The Intouchables does this with a risky twist. PHILIPPE watches DRISS
In the opening scenes, Driss (the caregiver) is shown stealing a Fabergé egg from Philippe (the quadriplegic aristocrat). He is unapologetically criminal. However, the script quickly humanizes him by showing his motivation: he needs a signature on a form to prove he applied for a job so he can keep receiving welfare benefits.
The writers make us like him not because he is "good," but because he is honest. He doesn't pity Philippe. In fact, he treats Philippe with a refreshing lack of filter. The script establishes the dynamic immediately: Philippe needs a caregiver who won't treat him like an invalid; Driss needs a signature.
