Mon meilleur ami (2006/I)

Director:

Patrice Leconte

Writers:

Olivier Dazat (idea)
Patrice Leconte (writer)

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

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.