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Wonderful character development!

A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

And I'm not only talking about the main character, but for the movie as a whole. It is a black comedy, but as others have stated, it is more psychological (or dare I say "psychotic"?), rather than laugh out funny (as in Serial Lover for example).But if you are in the mood and have a liking for movies like this, Harry will indeed "help" you, enjoy this experience. And although I was expecting this to be remade in America, I'm also not surprised that no one has touched that subject yet. It's pretty dark, creepy and twisted. So the question you have to ask yourself is plain and simple: Are you up for it or do you rather watch something lighter (in mood and comedy)?

'Harry' is a story about an ordinary middle-class couple, Michel and Claire and their three young children. They're on their way to visit Michel's parents when they pull over at a rest stop. While Michel is in the bathroom, he's approached by Harry who identifies himself as a long lost high school acquaintance. Harry alludes to a poem that Michel wrote in high school along with a sci-fi novel as well as pointing to an incident in which Michel chipped his tooth while rough-housing during a soccer match.The problem is that Michel is unable to recognize Harry and this crucial plot point doesn't really ring true. It's unlikely that Michel would forget about Harry completely especially when we later learn that Michel's dentist father did some bridge work for him and Michel's brother Eric also can recall who he is. Somehow, the film's scenarists implausibly suggest that Michel has become emotionally stunted to the point where he's lost some of his basic memories.Harry is traveling with his bimbo girlfriend, Plum, and manage to get themselves invited back to Michel and Claire's summer house (the trip to Michel's parents is cancelled when one of their daughters develops a fever). Before you know it, Harry and Plum are sleeping over. Harry is positively creepy as a good number of his conversations involve one kind of sexual innuendo or another. Claire is a bit suspicious but Michel passively allows Harry to insinuate himself into their lives. It becomes obvious that Harry is totally obsessed with Michel, especially when he keeps encouraging him to start writing again—an avocation Michel dispensed with early on during high school.At first it appears that Michel will become the target of Harry's creepy obsession. But soon we see that it's Michel's parents Harry has it in for. He ends up showing up at their apartment late at night pretending that Michel is in trouble and coaxes the parents to follow him in his car to Michel and Claire's. On the way, Harry maneuvers his car behind the parents' car and manages to push them off the road, down a cliff. While the parents are killed, we never learn why. The only clue that's offered is that Harry was upset over some poor dental work that Michel's father was responsible for in the distant past.The death of the parents puts Michel into a tailspin. He closets himself away in the bathroom and begins obsessing about trying to finish his 'Flying Monkey' short story which he began in high school. Claire pays a visit to Harry at a hotel where Plum and he are now staying. She mentions to Harry that Michel is trying to write again and crazy Harry thinks that's a good thing. But Claire also makes it clear that Harry's no longer welcome back at the house. Meanwhile, Michel's brother Eric has shown up for the parents' funeral and Harry ends up doing him in too.The denouement makes little sense. Harry returns to Michel and Claire's summer house and kills Plum after she tells him she wants to start a family. Instead of hiding the body himself, he asks Michel to help him dispose of it by throwing it down a well in the front yard. After Michel helps Harry to dispose of Plum, Harry then simply asks Michel to help him slaughter Claire and the kids. Did you ever hear of a serial killer who becomes obsessed with one family member but wants to kill everyone else? In real life, serial killers end up killing everybody but not here! Michel comes to his senses and stabs Harry with a knife; he then throws him down the well and then shovels dirt so that the bodies will not be found.All's well that ends well when Claire asks Michel what happened to Harry and Plum and he tells them they had to leave but left "sending their love". The upside is that Harry stoked Michel's creative fires after all. He begins writing a new novel entitled "The Eggs" (Harry earlier had spoken approvingly of eating an egg every morning to help with virility). Claire tells Michel she read his new story and thinks it great that he's begun writing again.One problem is left unexplored. What happened with the investigation into Eric's disappearance? Wouldn't the police start poking around after Eric's friends start asking about him? And wouldn't they look at Michel as a possible suspect, especially after the recent mysterious deaths of their parents? Some internet posters have offered the dubious theory that Harry is actually the altar ego of Michel and that he is the actual murderer. I don't have the space to debunk that theory here but plenty of well-informed postings refute the entire fanciful idea.'A Friend Like Harry' expects you to figure out Harry's motives in trying to kill Michel's family as well as his obsession with Michel without much evidence. Yes, there are a few tantalizing clues thrown out here and there but the antagonist's motivations are intentionally left quite vague. And the fact that Harry makes no effort to hide his murderous nature from Michel at the film's end is almost laughable.'Harry' is a bit slow-moving but basically keeps your interest until the climax. Sergi Lopez can do little in the part of the demented Harry since the script calls for a character that's not plausible. Equally implausible is the character of Michel who never seems to have a clue that Harry wants to do harm to his family until the very end. Director Dominik Moll is obviously aiming for some Hitchcock-like suspense but leaves us with characters that do not add up in the end.

Another deservedly acclaimed French thriller but, as opposed to the kinetic and twist-laden TELL NO ONE (2006), this is a slow-burn and (relatively) simply-plotted film with, if anything, even more emphasis on characterization. Again, this elicits memories of earlier suspensers – notably Alfred Hitchcock's STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951) and the Stephen King adaptation MISERY (1990), whose narratives are neatly amalgamated here – as we get the title character, a rich wastrel and casual acquaintance of the hero who gradually reveals psychotic tendencies, misguidedly lending a helping hand to sort out the latter's domestic problems while, at the same time, being somewhat obsessed by the young man and resenting in particular his (unconscious) decision to suppress the talent he once possessed as an author! Like the Guillaume Canet film I mentioned earlier, much of the power of the piece emanates from careful casting and, in fact, all four leads (the others being the two protagonists' respective partners, with the hero's wife being played by Mathilde Seigner, sister of Roman Polanski's wife Emmanuelle) deliver good performances. As I said, the film essentially maintains a low-key throughout, even in its moments of violence (with a couple actually occurring off-screen!) so that we get no CAPE FEAR-type melodramatics. The last act is quite interesting as, first, I half-expected the film to turn into a variation on PERFORMANCE (1970) with the villain disappearing for a while and the hero not only picking up some of the former's idiosyncrasies but even takes an active interest in his girl!; then, it almost takes a leaf from Claude Chabrol's LA CEREMONIE (1995) when Harry tries to persuade his 'idol' to get rid of the latter's family for good. However, it finally settles on (effectively) reprising the ironic twist which concludes LA FEMME INFIDELE (1968), a much earlier Chabrol effort (an obvious influence here, that film-maker being officially recognized as "The French Hitchcock"). Though one can fault the movie its slight overlength (116 minutes), an even bigger regret is the fact that the script treats proceedings a little too earnestly rather than approach them as black comedy! On a personal note, the fact that the protagonist here is a 34-year old former writer (I will be that same age in August and have not 'created' anything for the last 8 years!) struck a little too close to home for comfort!

I finally watched it, been on my to-see list ever since it came out. Great film that perfectly fulfilled my expectations. The only advice I can give, is don't expect to be overwhelmed by the time the film ends. Though it gets pretty demented at times, its ways are strangely subtle. If you've liked Michael Haneke's "Funny Games", then you should not hesitate to see this French film too.Michel and Clair are travelling by car to their remote summer house on the outskirts in Switzerland. Taking some time off to renovate things & spending a holiday with their little kids. Still in French, at a highway rest-stop, Michel encounters Harry, who claims to be an old schoolmate of him. Michel has no instant recollection of what all Harry has to say, but politely plays along, clearly avoiding any offense to Harry. And when Harry, accompanied by his sex doll wife Prune, kindly suggests to drive from France to Switzerland together, in separate cars, Michel agrees. His wife Clair, hesitantly reluctant at first, ultimately consents. The moral of this set-up? Trust your wife's female intuition. Michel just made a big mistake.From the moment Sergi López gets introduced as the friendly Harry (at the start of the film), director Dominik Moll manages to saddle you up with an uncomfortable feeling. And very slowly, it all becomes more and more unsettling as the film proceeds. The events & complications portrayed, make excellent use of the isolated setting that our family inhabits. The environment itself poses absolutely no threat and for once, it's also not the locals our outsider family should fear. The bad things will come from someone they've already invited into their comfort zone. And by the time they start realizing that, bad things are already getting worse.A big merit of this film, is undoubtedly the fact that Moll put real characters into realistic situations. And he does all this by not exaggerating or emphasizing details, but keeping things simple instead. While Harry, and subsequently his wife Prune also, provide all the necessary abnormality in this every-day plot, it's the characterization of the family that makes this film feel familiar and real. It's the little things, like kids getting annoying on the backseat of the car during a long summer drive. Or Michel's parents having the desire to meddle & help out with his undertakings, often more uncalled for than not so. Michel's mother making a subtle inquiry about his wife, indicating us she has her own thoughts on her son's marriage. These little details are irrelevant to the plot, but they make real humans out of the characters. And while you pick up on these subtleties, it enhances the awareness of the fact that Harry's abnormal behaviour is seeping into the lives of these very normal people. Even in scenes where Harry is not featured, you keep him in mind, because at most given moments he will always be in the company of another family member on another location. A splendid way to keep the viewer on his toes in a slow but steady moving film."Harry, Un Ami Qui Vous Veut Du Bien" is by no means explicit, but it's still an effectively disturbing film. At times slightly comedic, due to Harry's impossible behaviour. Lòpez strikes the right note with his performance between overtly friendliness & plain craziness. At no point he goes shamelessly over the top, nor does the film really feature any excessive outbursts of hard on-screen violence, and that really works for the better. The mild brilliance of this film, lies with the question as to what Harry's motivation is and what the outcome of it all will be. Do not expect a big mystery to be revealed. Do not expect a puzzle from the past explained. Do not expect grotesque bloodshed and violence. Expect subtlety and finesse to great effect.