Mon Meilleur Ami Tagged Articles at Cinematical

One of my favorite films from TIFF last year -- Patrice Leconte's Mon Meilleur Ami -- just hit theaters a few days ago, and somehow I missed it. Luckily, it's not too late to go on about why you should see this movie. Why do I care? Beyond the fact that it is an entertaining, solid comedy, we've got a chance here to patronize a great foreign language film and show that North America can handle a non-English film that isn't directed by Mel Gibson or Clint Eastwood. In February, I posted about how Brian Grazer and Universal were already gearing up for an English-language remake. But why bother when the film is now on the big screen?

Mon Meilluer Ami, which is titled My Best Friend for North American audiences, is about François Coste (Daniel Auteuil), a completely conceited art dealer who is stunned to learn that none of his so-called friends like him. Of course, he denies the accusation, and his business partner makes a bet with him -- he can keep an expensive Greek vase he picked up with their business' money if he can produce a genuine best friend. If he can't, the vase is hers. After stumbling upon an eternally-jovial cabbie a few times, he hires the man to teach him how to find a friend.

You can check out the trailer over at the film's website. The film is only in limited release now, but hopefully all of you lovely cinemagoers will patronize the available screenings like mad and inspire IFC to send the film to more theaters.

We're finally to a point where foreign-language movies can make it big stateside. Mel Gibson has done a lot for this, between Passion of the Christ and Apocalypto. Woody Allen will soon have his Spanish/English production. Clint Eastwood used Japanese in Letters from Iwo Jima. So why on earth must Hollywood continue to re-make overseas films without giving them a chance here? Mon Meilleur Ami, a French film that just premiered at TIFF last year, has already been grabbed by Universal and Brian Grazer for a remake -- only a month after it was released in France.

The original, directed by Patrice Leconte, follows François Coste, a conceited art dealer who is shocked when he finds out that all of his "friends" don't like him, and that he doesn't have one single friend. However, he denies this up and down, and his business partner makes a bet with him that if he can produce a genuine best friend, he can keep the Greek vase he picked up with the business' money. If not, it's hers. After continually running into the same affable cabbie, he hires the man to teach him how to find friends with the "three S's" -- sociable, smiling and sincere.

Daniel Auteuil (Caché) is great as the clueless dealer, and the only hope I see for this new film is if they pull a Abres Los Ojos/Penélope Cruz/Vanilla Sky deal and grab him again for the remake. Or, better yet, forget the film and move on to the next project. There is no cast yet, so you still have time to back out, Grazer!