filled with a tantalizing air of suspense , with a friend like harry is an unusual yet well-balanced mix of dark comedy , french thriller , and surreal drama . as i was watching the film , i found myself groping for its message at each turn of the plot . its ultimate effect is comparable to claude chabrol's la cérémonie , which , with all its violence and commentary on class delineation . in with a friend like harry , two former schoolmates accidentally meet in a roadside bathroom . michel ( laurent lucas ) is on vacation with his wife claire ( mathilde seigner ) and their three little daughters . he is harried and haggard , far from enjoying this so-called vacation : an endless ride with whining and screaming kids in an un-air conditioned car . harry ( sergi lópez ) is everything michel is not : sleek and self-contained , he doesn't seem to be burdened by anything except good memories and a load of money . within minutes , harry invites himself and his girlfriend , a corpulent , springy bun named plum ( sophie guillemin ) , to michel's house -- to reminisce about the good old school days michel himself can barely remember . the success of harry is held in its odd combination of very real , down-to-earth elements combined with surreal devices , creating suspense , disbelief , and intrigue . the film plays skillfully with a common knowledge that there is always a potential danger in bringing an intruder into the family , no matter how stable this family is . at the table , harry recites michel's adolescent school poem with the unattractive title the dagger in the skin of plight , as well as an excerpt from a sci-fi novel called flying monkeys . leading a life of constant gratification , harry is convinced that all michel's problems -- lack of money and the desire to please other people -- have obscured michel's path toward fulfillment as a writer . quick and decisive , harry is a man of action , and his solutions are very concrete . it is nearly impossible to fathom the nature of harry's obsession with michel's early poem , which he remembers by heart . but , as the film progresses , it becomes obvious that harry expresses his obsession through crime . by the film's end , he is comparable to ripley from rene clement's purple noon ( and the american the talented mr . ripley ) , a sociopath with an insidious mind learning that he could get away with just about anything . however , harry is a hedonist and a misanthrope , but his enigma is never as refined as ripley's is . the film even treats him with a slight contempt : there is always something distasteful in harry's brisk arrogant walk , in his narrow unexpressive eyes . the music , with sinister ominous overtones , often diverts our attention by accentuating superfluous elements , such as the eggs harry likes to eat after having an orgasm or the vulgar pink wall pattern in the bathroom of michel's house . it creates a creepy and eerie effect , but , after a while , these devices become as predictable as harry's long list of solutions . the movie is not a weighty one , yet there is something in its tension and the way it feeds you its story that attracts you to it . the film seduces you into thinking that , at certain moments , you know where it's headed , and then you realize that you don't . acting is crucial to this film's success , and it is impeccable . michel and claire never get hysterical or grotesquely quarrelsome during their daily rituals . the core of their disorganized and turbulent family unit is established early in the film , and it's clear that no matter what sacrifices michel has had to make for his girls , he loves them without regret or resentment . there is an interesting comment , however , in the closing sequence of the film . just like at the beginning of the film , michel drives his family in the car , only now the car is a present from the magnanimous harry . in a splendid 4x4 sport utility vehicle , with air-conditioning full blast , the kids are content ; no more screaming , howling , or demands . michel smiles -- whatever price he has had to pay for getting rid of harry was well worth it . does the film suggest we all have a little of harry in us ? i think it does . whether it is a point worth making is another question altogether . aka harry , un ami qui vous veut du bien . 
