(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.

I have noticed that some reviewers call this a comedy. Well, although at the beginning there are some mildly funny moments, the overall mood of the film isn't comedic and the movie is far deeper than just a comedy. It's much more of a sweet drama about a very lonely man (Daniel Auteuil) who doesn't realize just how lonely and miserable a person he is.

It all starts at a dinner party. Auteuil is there with his business partner and others when suddenly the conversation becomes very painful and dark. One of the guests says to Auteuil that he has absolutely no friends--at which point all his supposed friends there at the table admit that they aren't his friends but business associates. Then, in a moment of panic, he bets his partner that he DOES indeed have friends. The problem, however, is that after the dinner is complete, Auteuil sits down to assess his life and realizes he has no friends at all--and this follows his asking those he is close to if they are his friends. You feel a bit sorry for the guy, as his life has been all business, but on the other hand, he is a very selfish guy who uses people for his own benefit.

A bit later, he meets a neurotic cab driver (Dany Boon) who seems to have many friends. This actually is NOT true, but Boon instead plays a man who is friendly to everyone around him, though he, too, is quite friendless. Part of this is because he's been hurt and part of this is because the guy is obsessed with trivia and this really annoys many around him. However, Auteuil doesn't realize Boon's annoying side and actually offers to pay him to learn to make friends.

Not unexpectedly, over time the two men do become friends, of a sort, though Auteuil STILL is doing this mostly for the wrong reason--to win a bet. Once Boon realizes this, their budding friendship is over and the two part. Only then does Auteuil realize how much he misses his new friend and he concocts a plan to make amends.

While this very strange film is a bit hard to believe--after all this IS an odd plot--it is an exceptional film. In many ways it's a lot like the French farce, THE DINNER GAME ("Le Dîner de cons") but with a much more somber tone and much more depth to the relationship over time. I really enjoyed both, though THE DINNER GAME was clearly a comedy. MON MEILLEU AMI is more--much more. It's a film about people and it's exceptionally well acted, written and directed. I have always loved Auteuil in films but the rest of the cast (in particular Boon) were terrific and this little film might surprise you and touch your heart. A lovely little film that is too good to be missed.

I don't watch a lot of foreign films. This is probably one of the few I've seen, let alone reviewed.

I take comfort then in the fact that this is a good one to see.

Full of funny observations on life and friendship, this is a lovely almost 'Odd Couple' style film that raises a few smiles along the way as it mixes humour and heart.

I'd say try and find a copy online or on DVD, as it was a surprisingly enjoyable film.