François is a middle-aged antique dealer.
He has a stylish apartment and a fabulous life, but at a
dinner with a group he considers his dearest acquaintances,
he is blindsided by the revelation that none of them
actually likes him. He’s arrogant, self-centered and harsh,
and they don’t believe he knows the meaning of friendship.
His business partner Catherine makes him a bet: if he can
produce his best friend, she will let him keep the massive
Greek vase he acquired that afternoon on the company tab. If
not, it’s hers.
Having accepted the wager, François naively tears through
his address book, trying to shoehorn an increasingly
unlikely series of contacts into the all-important role.
Moving through Paris, he keeps encountering a
trivia-spouting, big-hearted cabbie named Bruno. Bruno’s
chatty, lowbrow ways grate against François’s designer
temperament, but he covets the other man’s easy way with
people. He convinces Bruno to teach him how to make friends
and sets about learning the “three S’s” – being sociable,
smiling and sincere – though they don’t come easy.
Ultimately,
François victory will depend on Bruno's naiveté in playing
along, but what's the cost of cheating at friendship?
Patrice Leconte, one of France's most renowned
writer-directors, has often explored the theme of friendship
in his award-winning films including MAN ON THE TRAIN,
INTIMATE STRANGERS and THE HAIRDRESSER¹S HUSBAND. He leapt
to international attention with the highly praised MONSIEUR
HIRE, his ninth feature - but his first drama - and followed
it with films known for their wit, swift pace and visual
elegance. His other hit films include RIDICULE, THE WIDOW OF
SAINT-PIERRE, and the comedies that propelled him as one of
France's most talented comedy writers/directors, LES BRONZES
and its sequels LES BRONZES FONT DU SKI and LES BRONZES 3:
FRIENDS FOR LIFE.
MY BEST FRIEND marks the third time that Daniel Auteuil
stars in a film by Patrice Leconte following GIRL ON THE
BRIDGE and THE WIDOW OF SAINT-PIERRE. One of France's most
beloved and prolific French stars, Auteuil is best known to
American audiences for his roles in the recent CACHE by
Michael Haneke and the classic Claude Berri films JEAN DE
FLORETTE and MANON OF THE SPRING. He has worked with many of
France's best directors, including André Techiné (THE
THIEVES, MA SAISON PREFEREE,) Patrice Chéreau (QUEEN MARGOT),
Claude
Sautet (A HEART IN WINTER) and Francis Veber in the upcoming
THE VALET.
©2007 IFC FILMS. All rights reserved.
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