Friends since childhood, Sam and Stephen have a company that sells high-end skis. But their threatens dream falls apart unless they win a crazy bet: Sam must qualify for the Olympic Games in Algeria, the country of his father. This is the beginning of a crazy adventure for the pair, which will allow Sam to reconnect with his roots, away from his current life.

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As unlikely as it is, the adventure in Good Luck Algeria does not come out of nowhere: director Farid Bentoumi was inspired by the story of his brother (a movie stuntman), who competed in the 2006 Turin Olympics for Algeria. Full of good intentions, this nice, bright comedy addresses the issue of deep roots and immigration with the expected humor and sensitivity, working largely thanks to the effectiveness of actors Sami Bouajila and Franck Gastambide (and to a lesser extent Chiara Mastroianni, who is under-used in a supporting role). Enough to make this endearing but limited populist movie entertaining without being engaging or remarkable. Good Luck Algeria does not have the panache and slapstick of The Cow, released in theaters in February, and is therefore content with making small gestures.