(May 25, 2012, on page C7 of the New York edition with the headline: Helping a White Man Relearn Joie de Vivre.)
Race, in France as in the United States, is a perpetual source of confusion and discomfort; to address it is always, in some way, to get it wrong.
Especially wonderful about the film is how the two men help each other come to grips with their personal problems. Driss needs to become more responsible with his life, while Philippe needs to overcome his hang-ups about pursing a romantic relationship. Each man is deficient in a certain respect, and each helps the other overcome or at least compensate for that deficiency.
Scott Mendelson in his review writes “the film fails as a study of individual humanity, as both of its stars are presented as broadest and most clichéd class-related stereotypes imaginable… There

is no law saying that every film involving cross-racial relationships has to make some kind of defining statement about racism or race-relations in general, but there should be a rule against painting such broad character strokes using painfully obvious and patronizing stereotypes.” (Mendelson’s Memos)
That was not the feeling that I had watching the movie. I would definitely recommend this movie.
I must admit I was moved emotionally by this film. I laughed and I rejoiced in the end. I once lived in France