Why so much hype?

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Whilst looking round for easy-going French Comedy titles,I stumbled on a Comedy starring François Hollande's "mistress" Julie Gayet!,which led to me getting ready to meet my friend.The plot:Going to a dinner with art dealing business partner Catherine, François tells a story of going to a funeral where only a few people turned up.Picking up his comment,Catherine says that she thinks no one would attend his funeral,(what a class act!) due to François not having any friends. Wanting to push things a bit,Catherine challenges François to a bet,where he must introduce her to his best friend,or she gets to take a valuable vase of his.After accepting the offer, François starts looking round for a "new" best friend.View on the film:Keeping the mood light and sweet with gliding tracking shots,co- writer/ (along with Patrice Leconte and Jérôme Tonnerre) director Patrice Leconte & cinematographer Jean-Marie Dreujou sweep along François's search for a "best friend" with wide shots that allow one liners to dart across the screen. Surprisingly leaving out any romance in the movie,the screenplay by Leconte/Dazat and Tonnerre instead takes the quirky buddy Comedy route,with the dialogue between François & Bruno cleverly being balanced to keep the Comedy sparks lit,whilst also moving their friendship forward.Despite going a bit left-field with the game show final,the writers do largely keep the title on its feet,by making Bruno and François's very funny conversations in Bruno's cab be a sweet mix and match of off- beat and natural. Unexpectedly not being the romantic lead, Julie Gayet gives a very good performance as Catherine,with Gayet's sass allowing Catherine to keep François busy on his toes. Looking everywhere for a pal, Daniel Auteuil gives a great performance as François,thanks to Auteuil making François look ruffled at ever attempt he makes to get a friend,whilst Dany Boon shines in a heartfelt performance as Bruno,who meets (My) his best friend.

François (Daniel Auteuil) is a successful antique dealer, in business with his partner Catherine (Julie Gayet). At a birthday party the topic is broached that François has no friends. He becomes defensive about it and says that he does have friends. Catherine is dubious and bets him that within ten days he cannot prove to her that he has a best friend. If Catherine wins the bet, François will have to give over his interest in an expensive urn. That is the premise that sets the rest of the movie in motion. François contacts old acquaintances, thinking that they might attest to being a good friend, but to no avail. And so on.There are a couple of major flaws in this story. First off, either you have a close friend or you don't and, if you don't, you are not going to find one in ten days. Secondly, Auteuil, in appearance and behavior, simply cannot play a person high enough on the a**hole scale to be as friendless as he is presented to be. But, there would not be a movie this lighthearted if François is alone and rejected in the end, so coincidence has him meeting a rather sociable taxi driver, Bruno; from there things progress to the inevitable ending with some speed bumps thrown in along the way. The efforts for a feel-good ending border on fantasy. But the whole affair is agreeable enough, a strong point being a good cast. I particularly liked Julie Gayet. And, if you do want something a little deeper out of this, you can examine your own situation vis-a-vis friends. Can you distinguish between good friends, acquaintances, associates, people you see often? Do you have any relatives that you consider friends? Do you have an obvious best friend who is definitely more than a good friend? What does having a best friend mean to you? Stretching the definition of "best," do you have more than one friend you would put in the category of best friend? Does the whole concept of categorizing friends something you have thought about, or do you even reject that very idea?

Friendship is a rare commodity. Some of us are better at making friends than others. Who knows what chemistry is behind the way one relates to another human being? In the case of French antique dealer Francois Coste, it is obvious he doesn't have any friends at all. Why, even his partner, Catherine, tells him point blank. On a dare, he tells her he will give her the Greek vase he has bought at an auction if in ten days he has not made a friend.We realize when he meets Bruno Bouley, an affable Parisian taxi driver, that he finally is on the right track after being rejected by all the others he had approached, either to buy them drinks, or even trying to reacquaint himself with an old school mate. Bruno is indeed a happy person, something that Francois is not. While Bruno guides Francois in being a better person, their friendship comes to an abrupt end. It's not until Bruno goes to be a contestant in the French version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, that he has to contact Francois at a crucial point of the game.Patrice Leconte's take on this film is not as heavy as most of his better made features. The director has a knack for bringing opposites in contact under the most unusual circumstances. Mr. Leconte proves he knows about what he is talking about when he decided to get this project to the screen. Co-writing with his long time associate Jerome Tonnere he delivers a light comedy to please his audience.The film relies heavily on the two principals, the brilliant Daniel Auteuil, whose range goes from dramatic turns into comedic roles without an effort. His Francois is one of the best things in the picture. Dany Boon, who is seen as Bruno, is a pleasant and natural actor who matches his co-star well. Both deliver excellent performances. Also in the cast, a good Julie Gayet, who plays Francois' partner. Henri Garcin adds to the overall enjoyment.

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