Rating: 
Summary: Le trouble with Harry
Review: This quirky little French thriller blends the squirming discomfort of watching "Chuck & Buck"'s unabashed adult-aged schoolboy-on-schoolboy crush with "American Psycho"'s disturbingly casual mayhem. Michel, a young, harried working-class father vacationing with his three screaming kids and cranky wife has a "chance" meeting at a highway rest stop with an "old school chum" named Harry who does not seem readily familiar. Harry, a Trustafarian slacker with his trophy girlfriend in tow, rapidly proceeds to completely ingratiate himself into Michel's life, and things become, well, (in the interest of avoiding any "spoilers") let's just say, quite "interesting". Newcomer Sergi Lopez, who plays the oddly charming yet psychotic Harry with brilliant understatement, could easily become this generation's Dirk Bogarde (compare Lopez's character with the late Bogarde's in the psychologically similar "The Servant"). The film could have been tightened up a bit, but still has more substance than 90% of the Hollywood "thrillers" cluttering up the multiplex these days. Fans of Hitchcock and/or deadpan black comedy (a la Jarmusch or Lynch) will get the most entertainment value out of this one.
Rating: 
Summary: A wicked, jet-black comedy (don't expect a true thriller)
Review: First of all, if you're looking for a good scare then you'll hate this movie. If you're looking for a black comedy that will make you feel guilty to laugh and chuckle at some rather unpleasant goings-on, then I can't think of many other films that will fit the bill! This movie doesn't come out and tell you what it's about--it leaves it ALL up to your imagination. And that is the un-American genius to it (we can't seem to do this in American film anymore). Obviously Harry is a nut (because he's a killer), but do his motivations seem that "off"? Not really, and that's why this is a black comedy and not really a thriller. His motivations aren't really out of lust, greed, or hate, which is what makes it rather disturbing. It makes me think of a Macy Gray song: "you are relating to a psychopath, your role model is in therapy, you must be real far gone, you're relating to a psychopath". That's what this movie is like. You get a chance to hang out with a pyscho--and actually get along with him. It's pretty wild. But don't expect any hair-raising thrills--they do not happen here. I also got the feeling that this movie is also making very subtle jabs at the Americanization of Europe. Like when Harry bought the 4x4 for Michel and family, Michel didn't want it because he thought 4x4's (we call them SUV's here now) were "vulgar". But he soon enough accepted it, seemingly undisturbed by the fact that his values were pretty easily sold out. Consumerism is making its way to the rest of the world. If you're unhappy, buy a product and enjoy the few minutes of relief it buys you. If it buys you more time (like the 4x4 did), then to hell with your values if they were compromised. These things are not uniquely American, but I think Harry in a way represents the modern American influence on old Europe. Harry did mention that he had some dental work done in America, so we don't know So there's a lot of things to pick apart in this film. I didn't give it 5 stars because I still feel it's a little too obtuse to be a perfect film (plus it is really nihilistic--was Michel relieved by what happend to his parents???). Maybe I'll see it again in the future and will change my mind, but right now 5 stars doesn't seem right. But it's really a stroke of genius, though you'll never be able to fully explain why.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: In usual Hitchcockian fashion, this French thriller is about ordinary folk plunged into sudden terror, but it speeds up and slows down gracelessly; peppered with a few murders here and there, it's just your average two hours of ennui. The first murder scene is so shocking (because the film has otherwise been so dull) that it really wakes us up, if only for the next ten minutes. There's a lot of useless filler material, like phone conversations of which we only hear one end, which in any case turn out to be completely irrelevant to the plot. There's none of Hitchcock's crackling tension, sexual or otherwise, to keep things interesting. Harry has moments of humor, but they are out of place and oddly disproportionate. With all of its boring mystery and emotional detachment, it feels at times like an amateur L'Avventura, with an added scene of Anna being brutally murdered on the rocks, minus the lyricism and profundity.
Rating: 
Summary: The trouble with Harry.......
Review: A deeply unsettling movie that left me reeling after watching it. Who says a scary movie needs a bucket of blood and a plateful of gore? In the tradition of Hitchcock whose idea of shocking somebody is through his mind, this movie pays homage to the great director with the greatest flattery: imitation. Even the plotline is somewhat a reminiscince of "Strangers on a train," a chance encounter between Michel, the protagonist of the movie, and Harry, a long forgotten schoolmate, leads to deaths around Michel. The "criss-cross" theme of Hitchcock's classic is well preserved and I won't go into details to avoid spoiling the movie for you. The well-timed orchestral music could also easily lead to mistaking this for a Hitchcock's film. I can imagine any director getting over-excited about a psychological thriller like this. "Let's thrown in a few clues here to explain the motivation," I can hear a less seasoned director say. However, Dominik Moll did a fantastic job keeping the film consistent and simple (plot-wise). The acting is also impeccable; well deservedly, Sergi Lopez was awarded a Cesar (French equivalent to the Oscar) for his role as Harry. One complaint is that the film seems to try too hard to keep the tone low-key. It results in an ending that is rather weak (execution, not plot-wise). Like Hitchcock, Moll is not interested in laying out a map to a killer's mind. He would rather bother you with the unexplained, after all it is more fun that way. From watching 'Psycho' we would never know why Norman Bates becomes what he becomes, yet he is probably one of the most talked about movie characters in history. Similarly, part of the suspense here is to figure out what makes Harry ticks and why. If you like your movies clear and transparent, chances are, you are going to hate this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Psycho Killer, Quest-ce Que Cest?
Review: Spoiler Alert. Dominick Moll's understated thriller shares much in common with George Sluizer's "Vanishing", not the least of which is a killer who is impossible to dislike. Sergei Lopez of "An Affair of Love", stars as Harry Ballasteros, a manganimous and wealthy fellow who resorts to increasingly horrific means to help his old school chum, Michel, deal with his bickering family and a stalled writing career. The film progresses a little bit too slowly to build any scares, but I don't think that the point of the film is to shock. Rather than resort to violence or gore, Moll builds suspense using an undercurrent of class conflict (between Harry and the less well-off Michel) and the natural irritations provided by Michel's family: screaming kids, nagging wife, overbearing parents, slacker brother. As was the case with "The Vanishing", Harry's motivations remain a mystery throughout. Some might feel that this leaves a bit of a vacuum at the film's center, but I'd prefer a hidden motivation to the cockamamie Scooby-Doo explanations that dog most movies in this genre. I think audiences can supply their own reasons for Harry's behavior. On the whole, the film is sufficiently entertaining for me to recommend. If you've been turned off by the Dogme '95/Olivier Assayas style of shaky-cam auteurism that's recently been infecting European cinema, this well-made little thriller may bring you solace.
Rating:
Summary: Le trouble with Harry
Review: This quirky little French thriller blends the squirming discomfort of watching "Chuck & Buck"'s unabashed adult-aged schoolboy-on-schoolboy crush with "American Psycho"'s disturbingly casual mayhem. Michel, a young, harried working-class father vacationing with his three screaming kids and cranky wife has a "chance" meeting at a highway rest stop with an "old school chum" named Harry who does not seem readily familiar. Harry, a Trustafarian slacker with his trophy girlfriend in tow, rapidly proceeds to completely ingratiate himself into Michel's life, and things become, well, (in the interest of avoiding any "spoilers") let's just say, quite "interesting". Newcomer Sergi Lopez, who plays the oddly charming yet psychotic Harry with brilliant understatement, could easily become this generation's Dirk Bogarde (compare Lopez's character with the late Bogarde's in the psychologically similar "The Servant"). The film could have been tightened up a bit, but still has more substance than 90% of the Hollywood "thrillers" cluttering up the multiplex these days. Fans of Hitchcock and/or deadpan black comedy (a la Jarmusch or Lynch) will get the most entertainment value out of this one.
Rating:
Summary: Motivation
Review: ...I won't go into overall plot rehashing. I'd just like to add my 2 cents on the motivation of Harry. Everyone seems to be mystified, but I thought it was obvious (and hilarious). Quite simply, Harry thought Michel was a literary genius. The new Shakespeare. An untapped writer of extraordinary talent. The poem Michel wrote had completely captivated his mind. He adored it and lived by it (See Harry's reaction to Michel's brother when he mocks it). The only other work by this genius was a barely-started work of Science Fiction called "The Flying Monkeys". Harry was going to see that that story was finished NO MATTER WHAT!!! He HAD to know the ending! NO ONE was going to get in the way of that story being finished. The great, and scary, part of all this was that the poem and the story were written by a teenage Michel who hadn't given either one of his works a second thought in 20 years.
The only question for me was, was their initial encounter "coincidental" or "staged"? I'll have to watch it again sometime and look for clues.
Rating:
Summary: A modern thriller
Review: Serious viewers will instantly compare this film with Hitchcock; and well they should. The director achieves what he wants from the first two minutes. Performance, cinematography, soundtrack, and dialog instantly set the scene for what's to come. You can't predict just how out of hand things will become, but you can get a pretty good idea after the first few minutes of this film. It's refreshing to see a European so heartily take on suspense, emotion, and drama so early in a picture (They're usually so hesitant to dive right in). Truffaut was the master at this (and his heir-apparent Wim Wenders has done some promising work), but our kind director here truly achieves his aim within minutes of the opening credits. Overall, the film leaves you with topics you're forced to discuss (or at least ponder). This is a keeper. Smartly done. Never patroninzing. A tad predictable, but for my money, one of the best European thrillers in at least five years. A must-have for your collection. You will NOT tire of this film, despite its genre.
Rating:
Summary: My First exposure to French Film
Review: Saw this in Chapel Hill when i was living in Durham, with a friend who actually was fluent in the language, her husband and my roomates. We then went to the pizza parlor and argued about the ending for an hour.
It's well paced and understated, it is not an American film in any way. I think the average person would enjoy it as long as you approach it on its own merits as a foreign film and don't try to fit it into our mold.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent Thrills
Review: Short and sweet. If you need typical hollywood over-acting, over-explaining and musical cues to tell you what to think and how to feel throughout a film, then this is not the film for you. If you can be entertained without the filmmaker holding your hand, then "With a Friend Like Harry" is not to be missed! Think "David Lynch without the psuedo-intellectual nonsense" or "Alfred Hitchcock without the melodrama."
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