With a Friend Like Harry... (2000)
"Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien" (original title)

Harry knew Michel in high school; they meet again by accident, Harry inserts himself in Michel's life... and things take a sinister turn.

Director:

Dominik Moll

Writers:

Dominik Moll (scenario), Gilles Marchand (scenario),

Stars:

Laurent Lucas, Sergi López, Mathilde Seigner

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 7 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Laurent Lucas	...	Michel
Sergi López	...	Harry (as Sergi Lopez)
Mathilde Seigner	...	Claire
Sophie Guillemin	...	Prune (Plum)
Liliane Rovère	...	Mother
Dominique Rozan	...	Father
Michel Fau	...	Eric
Victoire de Koster	...	Jeanne
Laurie Caminata	...	Sarah
Lorena Caminata	...	Iris

Storyline

On a hot day in a highway gas station men's room, a man Michel doesn't recognize says they went to school together. He's Harry. He suggests they have a drink, so he and his girlfriend follow Michel and his family to their summer place. Michel is amazed when Harry quotes from memory a poem Michel wrote in school. Harry thinks Michel is a great writer, and he's distressed that Michel hasn't written in years. Harry stays awhile (since his father's death, he's a man of leisure) and sets out to eliminate distractions that might keep Michel from writing. First he buys Michel a car (with air conditioning) and then suspicious things happen. Michel picks up a pen, Harry is gratified, but he's not finished being Michel's self-appointed patron.

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Plot Keywords:

writer | writing | high school | poem | death | 

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Taglines:

Who needs enemies?

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some violence and a scene of nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Diaphana [fr]

Country:

France

Language:

French Spanish

Release Date:

15 August 2000 (France)

Also Known As:

With a Friend Like Harry...

Filming Locations:

Château Hôtel Mont-Royal, La Chapelle-en-Serval, Oise, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$29,495 (USA) (20 April 2001)

Gross:

$3,818,452 (USA) (27 July 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC), Diaphana Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

[on how to deal with difficult parents]
Harry Ballestero: You have to overreact.

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Crazy Credits

In the opening credit sequence, a straight-down aerial shot, the letters of the credits cast shadows on the ground (with realistic penumbras) as if they were actually suspended in mid-air.

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Connections

Featured in La saga Pignon (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Sonate No. 5 for Piano, KV 283"
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Performed by Ian Brown

User Reviews

An enjoyable thriller, nothing more, nothing less.

'Harry, He Is Here To Help' is a pretty awful title for a very entertaining French thriller. I can't claim it is the greatest thriller I've ever seen, or that it will change your life, but it's well written with interesting characters, isn't as obvious and predictable as most Hollywood movies in this vein, and it has a satisfying conclusion. As modern thrillers go, it's a very enjoyable one and should please most fans of the genre. The strength of the movie is in the performances of the two main male leads, Larent Lucas who plays Michel and Sergi Lopez who plays Harry. I can imagine if this was remade in Hollywood and they were played by (insert likely actors here) just how obvious and stereotypical their characters would be. Michel bumps into Harry while traveling with his wife Claire (Mathilde Seigner) and three young daughters. Harry is an old school chum that Michel has long forgotten, but it quickly becomes obvious that Harry remembers Michel, quoting from memory a poem he wrote in High School that Michel can hardly even recall writing. Harry charms Michel and pretty soon Harry and his beautiful girlfriend Plum (Sophie Guillemin) are invited along to Michel and Claire's modest holiday house. Harry is quirky but charming and reveals that he is independently wealthy. His reminisces about Michel's youthful writing stirs up something long forgotten in Michel, and this, along with Harry's insistence on helping financially, creates tension between Michel and his wife. However things aren't as straightforward as that. Harry has other ideas in mind... I won't spoil what happens as the story progresses, that would ruin the fun. An enjoyable thriller, nothing more, nothing less. Highly recommended.