Award-winning director Patrice Leconte (Monsieur Hire, Ridicule, The Girl On The Bridge) has already established his particular wit and sensitivity to human folly, and the laughs flow freely here in his uniquely entertaining new buddy film. The twist? The buddy is missing!
François (mega-star Daniel Auteuil) is a middle-aged antique dealer with a fabulous life, but at a dinner with his dearest acquaintances, he’s blindsided by the revelation that none of them actually likes him. He’s arrogant and harsh, and they don’t believe he even has a friend. His business partner Catherine (Julie Gayet) makes him a bet: if he can produce his meilleur ami, he can keep the expensive vase the company acquired that afternoon. Having accepted the wager, François naively tries to shoehorn an increasingly unlikely series of contacts into the all-important role. But it’s a trivia-spouting, magnanimous cabbie named Bruno (The Valet’s Dany Boon) whom François is usually at lengths to avoid, who may be the stooge he’s looking for…
A delight from start to finish, MY BEST FRIEND was voted runner-up for the audience prize at the recent Toronto Film Festival - no mean feat considering the enormous scale of the event.
France 2006 - Comedy (94 mins)
In French with English Subtitles
Director: Patrice Leconte
Script: Patrice Leconte, Jérôme Tonnerre
Cast: Daniel Auteuil, Dany Boon, Julie Gayet, Julie Durand