WITH A FRIEND LIKE HARRY (2000) / *** aka HARRY, UN AMI QUI VOUS VEUT DU BIEN [French; English subtitles]
Directed by Dominik Moll. Screenplay by Gilles Marchand and Moll. Starring Laurent Lucas, Sergi López, Mathilde Seigner. Running time: 117 minutes. Rated AA for mature subject matter by the MFCB. Reviewed on September 23rd, 2001.
By SHANNON PATRICK SULLIVAN
Synopsis: Michel (Lucas) and his wife Claire (Seigner) are en route to their rustic summer cabin with their three unruly daughters. In a rest stop bathroom, Michel chances to meet Harry Ballestero (López), a childhood acquaintance. Harry and his girlfriend (Sophie Guillemin) finagle an invite to the cabin, and soon Harry has enmeshed himself in Michel's personal life. Are Harry's deeds truly as philanthropic as he claims, or are his true intentions far darker?
Review: "With A Friend Like Harry" is reminiscent of "Suspicion", amongst other Hitchcock films. In both, the plot builds slowly; although we know straight away that something not quite right is going on, it remains subtle, unpronounced and reveals itself bit by bit. The result is a splendid character drama, a guest-that-wouldn't-leave story that begins as merely creepy and becomes gradually more disturbing. The film's success hinges on the performances of its leads, and López in particular is up to the task. He lends a sinister edge to Harry: he smiles a little too much, lingers a little too long. But López is careful not to take this too far; it is not clear, at first, whether Harry is malevolent or just socially inept. Lucas, meanwhile, is very good in the everyman role; we can easily put ourselves in his place and wonder just how we would handle someone like Harry. Moll's direction is assured, and despite its sometimes mundane aspects (especially early on), "Harry" never lags. Like Hitchcock, if there are no thrills at hand, Moll fills the silence with humour -- but never so much that the atmosphere is ruined. Only the movie's rather abrupt ending disappoints, preventing what could be the intriguing fruition of the relationship between Harry and Michel. But then, Hitch's endings -- "Suspicion" included -- weren't always the greatest, either.
Copyright © 2001 Shannon Patrick Sullivan. Archived at The Popcorn Gallery, http://www.physics.mun.ca/~sps/movies.html
| Shannon Patrick Sullivan | shannon@mun.ca | +---------------------------------+---------------------------------+ / Doctor Who: A Brief History of Time (Travel) go.to/drwho-history \ \__ We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at the stars __/
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