Actor Daniel Auteuil finds himself in yet another gentle French farce. And once again the rather bland character he portrays is desperately trying to convince others that he's somebody better or more interesting. In Patrice Leconte's film, François (Auteuil) is an uptight antiques dealer who makes a bet with his business partner that yes, indeed, he has a best friend who can be produced on call. Of course, François doesn't, and thus must scour the streets of Paris for un meilleur ami. (The French, with their miniscule work week, must fill up their extra hours on such trivialities.) As these films often go, My Best Friend is an innocuous sliver of entertainment, just charming enough with its winsome characters and tiny insights into human frailties. The denouement -- set on a TV game show, of all places -- seriously strains credulity, but that's not the point. Against logic, even I was rooting for the happy outcome. In French, with subtitles. Starts Fri., Aug. 17. 
