My Best Friend film review

certificate_12A

MY BEST FRIEND

A charming French comedy, My Best Friend reunites director Patrice Leconte and leading French star Daniel Auteuil after their previous collaboarations on The Girl on the Bridge and The Widow of St. Pierre. While at its heart it has a dark central character, this is frothy stuff guaranteed to leave audiences smiling.

Auteuil is the film's antihero, and in the role of Francois Coste he effortlessly produces another great performance. A single-minded art dealer, Francois has only his next purchase on his mind, exemplified by an opening scene in which he attends an acquaintance's funeral with his eye on the deceased's private collection.

Francois's troubles begin when his business partner points out that he actually only has acquaintances in life and no real friends. Determined to prove her wrong, Francois makes a hefty bet that he will produce his best friend by the end of the month. The reality is, nobody wants to step up to the role.

Using a mixture of guile and cunning that would have pleased the great French playwright Moliere, Francois decides on a plan when he encounters an over-friendly taxi driver named Bruno (Dany Boon). Bruno is a character who defines the French word sympathique, and Francois regards him as the perfect candidate to play his new best friend.

Side plots - some more successful than others - involve a precious vase and Bruno's desire to appear on a TV quiz show. Nevertheless, the relentless appeal of Auteuil - surely France's greatest living actor - makes this a thoroughly enjoyable affair. He is more than matched by the charismatic Boon, a name that will be new to English afficionados of the French film scene, but an actor who looks destined for big things.

What's special about the film is that despite its relatively light tone, it will raise questions in the audience about the meaning of friendship. It's also a clever, tightly woven plot, which just about retains credibility, and one which looks ripe for a Hollywood remake.

Paul Hurley