Carlo Verdone’s new comedy ‘My Best Enemy’, which took out the main categories at last years’ Italian Film Awards, was good entertainment.

‘My Best Enemy’ is a variation of the buddy flick , featuring two people who can’t stand each other, but who through force of circumstances, have to learn to ‘work’ together and accept each other.

Verdone himself plays Achille, the manager of a hotel chain owned by his wife. When he fires a hotel maid for stealing, he earns the wraith of her son, Orfeo (Silvio Muccino), the best enemy of the title, who sets about destroying his personal and professional life. Orfeo’s vendetta is going strong when a beautiful young woman, Cecilia, gets in the way.

The turning point is when Orfeo gatecrashes Achille’s sycophantic 25th wedding anniversary celebrations and announces that Achille has been having a wild affair with his brother in law’s wife. His actions alienate the woman he has been dating, Cecilia, who he cruelly finds out is Achille’s daughter. What ends up happening is that Cecilia, furious with both her father and her lover, goes AWOL, and the two enemies have to combine together to win back Cecilia’s affections.

Verdone directs the film with flair and wins good performances from his cast.

‘My Best Enemy’ keeps up a fairly frenetic pace as it draws to its conclusion where all the loose ends are tied up artfully, and in the film’s good natured style.