Mon meilleur ami (2006/I)

Director:

Patrice Leconte

Writers:

Olivier Dazat (idea)
Patrice Leconte (writer)
(more)

Release Date:

6 December 2006 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

It takes a lifetime to learn the meaning of friendship...Francois has 10 days.

Plot:

Catherine (Gayet), refuses to believe that her business partner, the unlikeable François (Auteuil), has a best friend, so she challenges him to set up an introduction. Scrambling to find someone willing to pose as his best pal, François enlists the services of a charming taxi driver (Boon) to play the part.

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Daniel Auteuil	...	François Coste
Dany Boon	...	Bruno Bouley
Julie Gayet	...	Catherine
Julie Durand	...	Louise Coste
Jacques Mathou	...	M. Bouley, le père de Bruno
Marie Pillet	...	Mme Bouley, la mère de Bruno
Élisabeth Bourgine	...	Julia (as Elizabeth Bourgine)
Henri Garcin	...	Étienne Delamotte
Jacques Spiesser	...	Letellier
Philippe Du Janerand	...	Luc Lebinet
Fabienne Chaudat	...	L'épouse de Lebinet
Jean-François Kopf	...	Le commissaire priseur
Alain Rimoux	...	Le marchand au dîner
Marc Faure	...	L'ami dîner #1
Éric Frey	...	L'ami dîner #2
Etienne Draber	...	Le conférencier
Eric Naggar	...	Le bigleux
Anne Le Ny	...	La femme au casting de 'Réponse à tout'
Pierre Aussedat	...	L'homme au casting de 'Réponse à tout'
Audrey Marnay	...	Marianne
Andrée Damant	...	La dame du train - passagère bretonne
Isabelle Spade	...	La banquière
Alain Choquet	...	Le patron TV
Jean-Luc Mimo	...	Le prêtre
Marie Mergey	...	La veuve
Sylvie Herbert	...	Chauffeur de taxi #1
Omar Bekhaled	...	Chauffeur de taxi #2
Zoon	...	Chauffeur de taxi #3 (as Zoon Besse)
Jean-Claude Bolle-Reddat	...	L'ami empourpré #1
Patrice Bornand	...	L'ami empourpré #2
Christian Gazio	...	Un déménageur
Rosine Young	...	La libraire
Cyril Couton	...	Le collègue libraire
Nicky Marbot	...	Le Savoyard appartement
Yvon Martin	...	Le Savoyard galerie
Jeupeu	...	Le Savoyard Drouot
Caroline Frank	...	L'hôtesse de Delamotte
Eric Grandin	...	Le maître d'hôtel
Brigitte Defrance	...	La femme du vestiaire
Serge Faliu	...	La voix de SOS Amitiés
Jean-Pierre Foucault	...	Himself / En personne
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marine Laporte	...	Britney (uncredited)
Titouan Laporte	...	Léonardo (uncredited)

Directed by
Patrice Leconte

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Olivier Dazat		idea
Patrice Leconte		writer
Jérôme Tonnerre		writer

Produced by
Olivier Delbosc	....	producer
Marc Missonnier	....	producer

Original Music by
Xavier Demerliac

Cinematography by
Jean-Marie Dreujou

Film Editing by
Joëlle Hache

Casting by
Gérard Moulévrier		(as Gérard Moulevrier)

Costume Design by
Annie Périer		(as Annie Périer Bertaux)

Makeup Department
Laurent Bozzi	....	key hair stylist
Gill Robillard	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Christine De Jekel	....	production manager
Sébastien Didelot	....	assistant unit production manager
Marie-Eve Graviou-Dural	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hubert Engammare	....	first assistant director
Christophe Ronchet	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Alain Bergé	....	head painter
Patrice Fasola	....	head painter
Nadjib Ottmani	....	key construction

Sound Department
Annabel Acquaviva	....	boom operator
Boris Chapelle	....	assistant sound editor
Michel Filippi	....	adr supervisor
Dominique Hennequin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Guillaume Hurmic	....	second sound assistant
Paul Lainé	....	sound
Stéphane Soye	....	boom operator
Jean-Alexandre Villemer	....	sound recordist
Christophe Vingtrinier	....	sound re-recording mixer
Francis Wargnier	....	sound editor

Visual Effects by
Benjamin Ageorges	....	digital artist
Stephane Bidault	....	visual effects supervisor
Nicolas Delbecq	....	digital artist
Jean-Antoine Lacolle	....	digital artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Chassaing Arthur	....	assistant camera
Jean-Marie Leroy	....	still photographer
Nicolas Rideau	....	assistant camera
Vincent Trividic	....	assistant camera

Casting Department
Catherine Deserbais	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sandrine Bernard	....	costumer

Editorial Department
Christian Dutac	....	color timer

Music Department
Didier Lizé	....	music mixer

Other crew
Thierry Chapat	....	administrator
Stéphanie Fouet	....	administrator
Astrid Gavard	....	press attaché: Moteur!
Dominique Segall	....	press attaché: Moteur!
Pascal Vallart	....	production accountant

Production Companies

• Fidélité Productions
• TF1 Films Productions (co-production)
• Exception Wild Bunch (co-production)
• Lucky Red (co-production)
• Canal+ (participation)
• Ciné Cinémas (participation)
• Virtual Films (in association with)

Distributors

• Alamode Film (2007) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2008) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Best Film CO (2007) (Poland) (theatrical)
• Blanco y Travesia (2007) (Venezuela) (theatrical)
• Central Partnership Ukraine (2007) (Ukraine) (theatrical)
• Central Partnership (2007) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Cineplex (2007) (Colombia) (theatrical)
• DeA Planeta Home Entertainment (2007) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Filmes Lusomundo (2007) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Hopscotch Productions (2007) (Australia) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2007) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Independenta Film (2007) (Romania) (theatrical)
• Lucky Red (2007) (Italy) (theatrical)
• NonStop Entertainment (2007) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Optimum Releasing (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Orlando Films (2006) (Israel) (all media)
• Quality Films (2007) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution Finland (2008) (Finland) (DVD)
• Telepol (2007) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Tuck (2007) (Serbia and Montenegro) (theatrical)
• Wild Bunch Distribution (2006) (worldwide) (theatrical)
• Wild Bunch (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Wise Policy (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)

Special Effects

• AutreChose

Other Companies

• D.C.A.  sound transfer
• Locafête  catering (as Locafête)
• Moteur!  public relations

Also Known As:

My Best Friend (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some strong language.

Runtime:

Argentina:94 min | Canada:94 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:94 min | USA:90 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Finland:K-3 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Sweden:Btl | USA:PG-13 | Ireland:12A | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Germany:o.Al. | South Korea:All | Australia:M | France:U

Filming Locations:

Parc des Princes - 24 rue du Commandant du Guilbaud, Paris 16, Paris, France

Company:

Fidélité Productions

Quotes:

Bruno: Are you married?
François: I am. But she isn't so much any more!

Movie Connections:

References "Qui veut gagner des millions?" (2000)

Soundtrack:

La Paimpolaise

A good bet

Some are lucky to have so many friends that identifying a best friend is not easy; others have none. Francois (Daniel Auteuil) makes a bet with his business partner, Catherine (Julie Gayet), and friends at his birthday dinner that within ten days he can show them his best friend. They are confident he cannot.

A simple premise, a simple bet most of us could win given the same amount of time. Patrice Laconte in My Best Friend has once again created a sometime two-hander in which Francoise engages an outgoing cabbie, Bruno (Dany Boon), to help him identify the traits of a best friend and subsequently dredge said friend out of Francoise's past or present. The film is spent largely on the search, smoothly humorous and poignant in tracing the growing friendship between the two hunters and revealing the vagaries of any friendship, best or regular.

The notion of the challenge inherent in the bet is carefully parsed with a series of characters and incidents that do more to define who Francoise is as a human being than who that uber friend might be. The leitmotif best exemplifying the fragile and elusive nature of best friendship is an expensive antique vase dealer Francoise buys on impulse and becomes the prize for the bet. There's a parallel between the vase and the friendship that could easily be drawn by a discerning, often European audience. Another avenue of exploring the meaning of friendship is the competition on the French version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? Americans should take notice of the film's excellence at this point.

Another sub theme comes in the relationship between Francoise and his business partner, an attractive woman with multiple challenging friendships herself. And then the other friends at the party. Everyone, it seems, must deal with friendship, whether in a bet or reality.

For some Americans, the whole idea of deconstructing friendship in a movie might be uncomfortable and boring. In the hands of a master director, it is amusing and shocking.