You won't be disappointed!

The Worst Film Ever

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

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?

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 just want to mention that the expensive Greek vase in this delightful comedy is supposed to have contained the tears of a man grieving the death of his friend 500 years before our era (500 B.C.) When the sensitive friend (cab driver) is duped into stealing it from its owner to prove he is really a friend who would even commit an illegal act so that the owner can collect the insurance money, he breaks the vase when he sees it has simply been a set-up so that the Daniel Auteil character can win his bet. And the duped friend then says something like - where are the tears - I seen none.By the way, the vase was purchased for over 200,000 Euros or about 300,000 dollars after the main character sees very few people at a colleague's funeral - which he only basically attends because he wants to finalize a deal with the widow....As it turns out, the vase was switched by the lesbian gallery owner and partner, so all turns out well in the end.The French version of Who Wants To Be a Millionnaire is brilliantly crafted at the climactic end to this movie.The theme of friendship is well-done. Here is a man who tries to prove that he has real friends in life outside the big money deals he makes in his job as an antique dealer. He fails until the very end when he finally shows compassion for another.

This frenchman(Daniel Auteuil) is just amazing in his way to convince in almost any kind of emotionally role. Here he plays the distant and at the same time so kind person with a natural attitude as if it was reality. A year ago i watched the film "La fille sur le pont" (aka. The girl on the bridge), today that is my favorite film of all times. That is the only reason for me for only giving a 9 to this one. I've now seen all his films that i could get with subtitles, as I don't speak french. I am very sorry because of the ratings so far. Due to my opinion this film is a little pearl. It is not a big masterpiece, but so well made and perfectly acted that it, due to my opinion, has deserved more. I think the whole theme friendship is more important then ever in this busy world, so it leaves a little bit to think about after watching it. For those who haven't seen the film, I would like to say: just lean back and enjoy it!