‘My Best Friend, His Girlfriend and Me’ (2026) Netflix Movie Review - Marco Petry's Mild Comedy

Based on the title alone, Marco Petry's My Best Friend, His Girlfriend and Me can give the impression of being one of those sex comedies about betrayal and infidelity. But look at the poster, and it becomes clear what kind of movie it will turn out to be. The image is a variation of that meme where a boy stares at a girl while his own girlfriend is shocked to see him like this. It's just that in the poster, the boy is Matze (David Kross), the girlfriend is his best friend Olli (Kostja Ullmann), and the girl is Matze's new girlfriend, Rebecca (Janina Uhse), whose presence fills Olli with jealousy. You see, Olli and Matze have planned a year-long world tour, which is their childhood dream. But Rebecca arrives as a threat to that plan because, from Olli's perspective, she seems hellbent on domesticating Matze. Olli fears that Rebecca will turn Matze into a coward, a simp like one of their friends, Schmitti (Ferdinand Hofer), who follows the instructions of his lover, Antje (Mira Huber), dutifully, religiously, unquestioningly, as if every word she utters were a sacred command that must be performed slavishly.

From Rebecca's perspective, however, you can see why she's so frustrated by Olli. All she initially expects is basic human decency. It isn't too much to ask of Olli that he behave respectfully in front of her boss, who tries to spice up a party with wine tasting. And she rightfully doesn't like how Schmitti pees on his boss's shoes while high on weed (courtesy of Olli). So on the one hand, there is Rebecca, who wants her boyfriend to be in civilized, decent company, while on the other, there is Olli, who wants to live with Matze like a wild child. Each naturally sees the other as a negative influence on Matze, giving rise to a heated rivalry.

The resulting chaos should be high in mirth and discomforting feelings—Olli and Rebecca, after all, try to manipulate Matze—but the movie comes across as slight in tone and very mild in its comic antics. There is nothing particularly hilarious or offensive in this comedy. Petry films his scenes with a detached, impersonal tone that merely evokes an indifferent geniality. Olli and Rebecca's fight is almost frictionless. The latter creates a fire hazard at one point, though the effect of this incident remains nowhere to be seen (there is no mention of repair costs or even a general discussion of whether anybody got hurt or was in the house during the incident). Every moment, every event just slips by. Olli tears pages from books at a library, but the librarian (Larissa Sirah Herden) only smiles at him and chides him politely. In one scene, she runs after him, but Petry doesn't show the chase sequence. He cuts to the next scene immediately. It's as if he's afraid to show his characters huffing and puffing and running and sweating; he keeps his images polished and clean. No wonder Rebecca jogs as if she's catwalking. Petry's film is textureless and devoid of coarse or fervid comic sensibilities. It slides off your brain as soon as the end credits start rolling. In that respect, it's not so different from other Netflix Originals. It exists merely to be remembered for a few days or, at best, a few weeks.