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Mon meilleur ami (2006/I)

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40 out of 44 people found the following comment useful :-
A delightful, introspective French film!, 12 September 2006

Author: Sergei (sergei_y) from Toronto, Canada

Patrice Leconte's "Mon Meilleur Ami" (My Best Friend), as the title suggests, is all about friendship. Real friendship.

Francois (French star Daniel Auteuil) is a middle-aged Parisian with everything you could ever want - a rewarding job as an antique dealer, a stylish flat, a loving girlfriend, and a teenage daughter. What he doesn't realize, but soon brutally learns, is that he doesn't have any true friends!

The bet is made. Francois has 10 days to come up with a best friend to show off to his colleagues. If he doesn't, he will lose his newly acquired antique Greek vase. And so, the search begins. What we witness is a hilarious quest to find true friends, one that resonates well in real life. As Francois rides through Paris in search of his bet-winning friend, he encounters a trivia-know-it-all cab driver, Bruno (captivating Dany Boon). As the two meet over and over again in comical situations, we begin to wonder, did Francois finally meet his new best friend?

It's fascinating to watch these charming characters go through these experiences with friendship, something that we have all gone through. You will go through a whole range of emotions as you watch this film, laughter, shock, sadness. But in the end, this film reminds us what is really important in life - our relationships with people.

This film reminds of "Le Diner de Cons" with the great Jacques Villeret, and as that film, this one has something for everyone. I strongly recommend you to see it!

(My review is from the world premiere on September 12th, 2006 at the Toronto International Film Festival.)

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22 out of 22 people found the following comment useful :-
Very amiable, 27 May 2007

Author: TrevorAclea from London, England

My Best Friend isn't Patrice Leconte's best and it's probably not as funny as it could be, but it's so amiable that it really doesn't matter. It's a redemption comedy, with Daniel Auteuil's antique dealer so disinterested in the people around him that he doesn't even know that his business partner is a lesbian and is amazed to find that he has no friends, merely contacts. Challenged to present his mythical best friend by the end of the month or lose a valuable vase, he sets about an increasingly desperate search that takes in strangers in the street and even a former classmate to all-too predictable results before hiring Danny Boon's personable cabdriver to show him how to make friends, oblivious to the fact that Boon doesn't seem to have any friends either. No prizes for guessing how it all works out, but it's nicely played, with Auteuil's grimly smiling desperation offset nicely by Boon's sheer sad sack likability. The Who Wants To Be a Millionaire climax is somewhat drawn out, but it's hard to dislike a film that uses one characters obsession with quiz show trivia to name check Georges Simenon, Jean Renoir and both versions of The Man Who Knew too Much.

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24 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
What a Beautiful Comedy!, 30 December 2006

Author: Gian Marco Maffei (rommelsen)

I gave him 10/10, even if the screenplay isn't so strong, because this is a movie perfect in his genre:

I'm not a moralist, and I don't become upset if I see a comic film that uses vulgarities with the aim to make me laugh; if the movie is funny, I think it reached his goal, and it has my applause.

But this one, that hasn't vulgarities at all, made me laugh even much. In years in which seems that vulgarity is the better way to make laugh, this is a masterpiece.

A masterpiece to show everyone to spend 2 enjoyable hours together.

Talking about his weaknesses, I thought that last scenes could be directed in a better way, but the excellent Auteil's performance and the funnies gags, according to my tastes, fulfill everything.

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17 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Friends are unique to each other in the world., 5 August 2007

Author: rhodairis from United States

"If you tame me, we will need each other. You will be for me unique in the world. I will be for you unique in the world". So says the fox to the Little Prince, in Antoine De Saint-Exupéry's "Le Petit Prince," when they meet up in the Little Prince's journey. The lonely Prince has asked the fox to play with him but the fox says no, I have no wish to play with you. I am not a tame fox. A discussion then follows as to the meaning of "to tame." The fox answers as above.

This passage, which appears in a journal kept by the taxi-driver Bruno (Dany Boon), is at the heart of this charming and beautifully executed film of discovery, loss, and redemption. True friends are special to each other because they have discovered a need that the other can fulfill. Because of this acknowledged need, they are special (unique) to each other forever.

This is a hard lesson for Monsieur Françoise Coste (Daniel Auteuil), an antiques dealer, to learn, since he believes that he is on top of the world, successful, an engagement calendar full of lunch dates and meetings with business associates, a daughter in college, and a girl friend who seems to adore him. He doesn't think he needs anyone. He's in charge. When he is hit with the hard truth that none of these people (with the exception, perhaps, of his girlfriend), would come to his funeral, he is forced to admit that not only does he have no friends but also that no one likes him.

Being the arrogant, ego-driven man that he is, he denies that he has no friends, and in a basically silly bet, accepts a challenge from his antiques gallery partner, Catherine (Julie Gayet) to prove this hard truth false. The prize is an expensive Egyptian vase that Coste has just purchased, against the wishes of Catherine, because he took a fancy to the vase. In the process of coming up with a "best friend" within 10 days, to win the bet, Coste learns what friendship means, and just how far off the mark he really was.

I am a great fan of Daniel Auteuil, and love him in this role as much as in any of his previous roles. Of course, he is greatly helped along by Dany Boon, who plays the talkative, easy-going, friendly taxi driver, Bruno. Equally friendless, but not equally unlikeable, Bruno good-naturedly, almost affectionately, agrees to Coste's request to become his teacher in friend-making.

First, Coste has to admit that he has a need, or problem. "A friend is someone you can call at 3:00 in the morning to help you with a problem," says Bruno.

"I don't have any problems," replies Coste.

"Yes, you do," retorts Bruno, smiling, "you don't have anyone you can call at 3:00 in the morning." One of the best lines in the film! There are more.

When I left this film, I felt a sense of sheer happiness unlike anything I've felt in a long time. Because I had been late to the film (traffic), I stayed for the next showing to catch those missed 15 minutes, and ended up staying for 45 minutes. I am not sure just yet why it gave me such a sense of joy and hope, but perhaps because it deals so honestly and with such good nature this painful issue of finding, making, and keeping friends in our modern, fast paced, success-driven world. A business contact is not a friend, and no matter how full our business calendars are, its whom we meet in the café for a heart-to-heart chat over an espresso or go for a Sunday morning walk with that is the real measure of our success in the world. If that sounds too tame a definition of friendship, well, Director Patrice Leconte sees it differently.

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8 out of 9 people found the following comment useful :-
Bittersweet drama/comedy, 28 May 2007

Author: seawalker from Birmingham, England

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

(Is it just me or has Daniel Auteuil been in every French film ever made?)

Daniel Auteuil plays François Coste, a successful antiques dealer. He is an unlikeable man, so wrapped up in his work that he has barely any time for personal or romantic relationships. After some strained comments at his birthday dinner, François' business partner Catherine (Julie Gayet) points out that François does not have any friends, a charge he denies vehemently. Catherine then bets François that he could not introduce her to a single person who would call themselves one of his "best friends" within 10 days. With the help of a friendly, trivia obsessed taxi driver Bruno (Dany Boon), François sets out to do just that.

"Mon Meilleur Ami" is a slight film, and I liked it well enough, but the trailer lies. The trailer presents "Mon Meilleur Ami" as a farcical French comedy, but it is hardly that at all. "Mon Meilleur Ami" is really a little bittersweet drama/comedy. In fact, more bittersweet drama than comedy. Low key and thoughtful. It is about what happens when a man, who is absolutely sure of himself and his place in the world, finds that world disintegrating when he starts to study it very closely.

As I said, it is a slight film, but Daniel Auteuil is good and so is Dany Boon. If the ending is corny (and inaccurate - does "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" go out live in France, because it certainly doesn't in the UK?) and obviously formulated to be uplifting, well that's OK. You will be rooting for the right person at the end.

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14 out of 21 people found the following comment useful :-
You are told you have no friends. You don't believe it and want to prove the opposite. You didn't expect the challenge would be so tough!, 11 January 2007

Author: claudette-flint from Reading, England

I'll be brief because I doubt if Britain or US will see it before long. I saw it in France. It is the latest Patrice Leconte's film. This film comes after L'Homme du Train and is called MON MEILLEUR AMI (My Best Friend). Daniel Auteuil is an antique dealer who has no friend. His business partner challenges him to find a single friend. The most refreshing feature of this film is its total lack of political correctness (but is there any PC French among my compatriots?) They all say what they think without a second thought and this generates delightful dialogues full of Gallic humour and embarrassingly funny situations. What's more, this desperate quest for a friend and Auteuil trying to define friendship, make you ask yourself uncomfortable questions about your own friends!

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Unexpectedly endearing., 10 July 2007

Author: Tim Johnson from Fremantle, Australia

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

This moving, sensitively drawn film was the second half of a double Diane and I watched at Luna Essex today and it was almost, and this says a great deal for this movie, the equal of the Australian film, Clubland.

Strangely, I felt as I did after watching "The World's Fastest Indian" some years ago. The film took a long time in building up to the climax and by the time the viewer has reached this point, they are putty in the hands of the director and actors; by modern movie standards, this is not a bad place to be.

Superficially, the plot seems to be a little overdrawn; however, as I wrote, it builds slowly and while pieces fall into place one after another, viewers are led, perhaps against their will, into a maelstrom of events that lead to an extremely rewarding conclusion.

I am not sure to what extent this film can provide cinematic insights into our feeble existence on this rock but as a piece of afternoon entertainment it succeeds exceedingly well. Daniel Auteuil as the self-absorbed and arrogant antique dealer richly deserves the praise that has followed his career as well as Dany Boone, the affable taxi driver who rather unwittingly becomes his "social teacher". The ending is, at least for me, unexpected and ties the many strings of this delightful script together.

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9 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
A friend in need, a friend indeed:), 22 June 2007

Author: mmunier from Australia

I adored this movie screened in Sydney independent theaters. Following, perhaps an overdose of G depardieu I learnt to appreciate very much Daniel Auteuil. I remember discovering bogth of them in Jean des Florettes and Manon des Sources. Both have gone a long way now. I liked the theme very much and I also know time where my best friend was only my shadow, this earned me top mark in an essay we had to write. So looking for a best friend can be very interesting. This film indeed makes this pursuit very interesting and enjoyable. I was surprised that comments gave it a just above average rating when I feel even a little guilty not to have gone for a perfect ten Go and see it you'll have a good time

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
A Winning Combination of Talent and Tenderness, 3 November 2007

Author: gradyharp from United States

MON MEILLEUR AMI (MY BEST FRIEND) is a gift from France to movie lovers. Though it can be considered a 'comedy' in the French tradition, it is also a fine examination of the importance of friendship in a world too cluttered with 'acquaintances' passing as friends. Just what a 'friend' means is only one important message of this lovely film: the manner through which we identify meaningful relationships is the other.

Writer/Director Patrice Laconte (Intimate Strangers, The Man on the Train, The Widow of Saint-Pierre, The Girl on the Bridge, Tango, The Hairdresser's Husband, Monsieur Hire, etc) knows how to take an idea and allow it to blossom without distortion or preaching. He understands the intimacy of friendships and knows how to draw superlative performances from his actors - an obvious extension of the concept of friendship! François Coste (Daniel Auteuil) is an antiquities dealer with his lesbian partner Catherine (Julie Gayet), and while François is a successful businessman, he is a self-centered isolationist who has never been able to make or retain friends, a fact that is put before him at the scantily attended funeral of an associate. François and Catherine attend an auction where François pays a high price for an antique Greek vase, a receptacle for the tears of an ancient man's friend. This purchases encourages Catherine to challenge François to a bet: François must introduce to Catherine a 'best friend' within ten days or the vase belongs to her. François, oblivious to the fact that he is completely without friends (including his own daughter Louise - Julie Durand), accepts the challenge and so the search for friends begins. François exhausts his possibilities, all the while being driven about Paris by a loquacious taxi driver 'Balanchine'/Bruno Bouley (Dany Boon) who has his own problems: he has worked all his life to prepare for a fact-answering position on a television game show, but suffers from a severe case of nerves when before a crowd. Very gradually the two men bond and François realizes Bruno is the closest thing he has to a friend. A plan is hatched which will apparently benefit both men's weaknesses, but as life often does, surprises alter the plans. How the film ends is so tender that sharing it would destroy the fluid progression of Leconte's storytelling.

Both Auteuil and Boon are superb in the leading roles and yet every minor role is in the hands of the cream of France's crop of supporting actors. The pacing of the film, the cinematography, the musical score, and the script are perfectly melded. Yet it is the magic hand of Patrice Laconte that makes this movie understated and wholly credible, allowing the audience to relate to the sensitive weaknesses of the two men and grow into their tenuous relationship. It is a joy to watch and remember. Grady Harp

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
A good bet, 19 August 2007
Author: John DeSando (jdesando@columbus.rr.com) from Columbus, Ohio

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.

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