My Best Friend

My Best Friend ***

Directed by Patrice Leconte
Written by Patrice Leconte

Starring:
Daniel Auteuil as François Coste
Dany Boon as Bruno Bouley
Julie Gayet as Catherine
Julie Durand as Louise Coste
Henri Garcin as Étienne Delamotte
Jacques Mathou as M. Bouley, le père de Bruno
Marie Pillet as Mme Bouley, la mère de Bruno
Élisabeth Bourgine as Julia
Jacques Spiesser as Letellier
Audrey Marnay as Marianne

94 Minutes(Rated PG-13 for some strong language. )
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Now, I have only seen one film by French film maker Patrice Leconte-"The Man on the Train"-but I can already tell that "My Best Friend" is a bit of a departure for him. With a similar theme going on as "The Man on the Train"-that is the theme of two people very opposite of one another helping each other out and changing their lives-"My Best Friend" is a sweet and sentimental comic fable. It is virtually harmless, and the perfect remedy for the doldrum comedies out there at the moment-namely "License to Wed." And it also stars one of the best French actors around at the moment Daniel Auteuil, as well as another French comedian that is unknown to me Dany Boon.

Auteuil plays François Coste, an art dealer that does not really have any regard for other people. He only cares about things, says his partner Catherine. While out to buy a lamp for his gallery, Francois ends up buying a vase that depicts Greek friendship. He intends to keep it, even though a very wealthy art collector offers a large sum of money for him. At a dinner with his contacts the subject of friendship comes up, and Catherine declares that Francois has no friends. He is appalled that they would consider such a notion, and they bet the vase that he will introduce them to his best friend in ten days. He then gets out his little black book to call all his former friends, to find that he does not really have anybody. His own daughter is very distant from him, even. Then in a cab he meets Bruno, the most sociable person Francois has ever come across. He enlists Bruno to teach him to be more friendly to everybody, and in the end realizes that his best friend might be right under his nose.

In lesser hands-namely Hollywood's hands-"My Best Friend" could have been a complete disaster. I could just see this with Adam Sandler in it. Now I do find Sandler funny, but if "My Best Friend" had been a Sandler vehicle I could just see the numerous homosexual jokes about two men being best friends, etc. There is even a lesbian in the movie, which would have been target for Sandler to crack jokes about. But Leconte really does avoid all of those obvious stabs and makes a perfectly sweet human comedy. Both Francois and Bruno are believable. Bruno may be sociable but he certainly isn't perfect. Francois may not be sociable, but he isn't really all that bad. The climatic scene on the set of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" could have gone all wrong, but you really do fall for these characters, and the ironic moment of Bruno having to use his "Phone a Friend" lifeline will make you smile. "My Best Friend" is a formula, yes, but its sweet and funny and ultimately charming.