My Best Friend's Father - Blu-ray

Film: It was supposed to be a relaxing holiday in Corsica for best friends Laurent (Vincent Cassel) and Antoine (François Cluzet). Together with their teenage daughters Marie (Alice Isaaz) and Louna (Lola Le Lann), they plan to enjoy the sun, the sea and sweet idleness in the old house of Antoine's late father. But the two girls' foul moods threaten to spoil their fathers' enjoyment of the holiday as well. But when the two friends discover that some boys from their school are also on Corsica, their mood lifts tremendously. Now it could be a really relaxing holiday after all - if Louna didn't fall in love with Laurent, of all people. She never misses an opportunity to drive him crazy with her charms until he gives in to her seduction in a weak moment. And that, of course, has consequences that could shatter Laurent and Antoine's years-long friendship forever.

The Father of My Best Friend is a remake of Claude Berri's 1977 film A Moment of Confusion. Director Jean-François Richet (Public Enemy No. 1, The End - Assault on Precinct 13) admittedly takes a slightly different approach to the story than his predecessor. Because in the late 70s this subject matter was simply handled differently than it is today. Fortunately, he didn't succumb to the temptation to stage his version as a turgid erotic drama. True, Louna does use her charms purposefully to drive Laurent out of his mind, pretending to be very sexy until the object of her desire finally succumbs to her Lolita charms. But that only takes up a very small part in the film. Primarily, Richet tells the story of a friendship, a story about missed opportunities and about the fear of aging.

At the same time, he also captures very well how Laurent's daughter deals with the realization that her best friend must have slept with her father. How the girl, already suffering from the separation of her parents, deals with this breach of trust, at the same time knowing what it would mean for Laurent and Antoine's friendship if she revealed this secret. All of this sounds like the stuff of heavy drama. But in fact, the production is pleasantly light on its feet and humorous. Of course, there is a serious underlying tone, which also comes to the fore every now and then. But first and foremost The Father of My Best Friend is a relaxed entertainment film and not a deep psychological study - and that's a good thing.

Convincing actors, wonderful shots of Corsica, which immediately make you want to go on vacation, as well as some very amusing moments ensure that this remake has not only become a very independent work, which does not differ from the original only in the core of the story. It also makes the film very entertaining and enjoyable despite a few minor hangs. Who appreciates light French cinema with high show values and good actors, will be served very well here. And for this there is then also a more than satisfied: worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The wonderful landscape shots of Corsica also come into their own in home cinema. Colors are powerfully mixed and overall sharpness is at a very high level. Even in darker scenes, the many small details come across very well. The audio is in a pleasantly dynamic stereo DTS-HD MA mix that not only allows the voices to ring out of the speakers with good clarity, but also provides some multi-channel movement from time to time with well-executed sound effects like the trigger-happy Antoine and the music at the beach party. Good!

Extras: Bonus features include the trailer and a very detailed interview with the two leads, who discuss the shooting as well as the differences from the 1977 original. A good interview and really worth watching.

Conclusion: The Father of My Best Friend is a coherent mix of drama and comedy that scores with good actors, beautiful pictures and a nice story. The Blu-ray presents the remake of the 70s hit A Moment of Confusion in good picture and sound quality. The bonus material is not particularly lush, but the interview with the two main actors is well worth watching. At the end there is for it a clear: Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp