Delphine 1, Yvan 0 (1996)
Directed by Dominique Farrugia

Film Review

Written and directed by Dominique Farrugia, one of the comedy team Les Nuls (who had great success on the French TV channel Canal+),  Delphine 1, Yvan 0 is an original variation on the comedy-romance, portraying a rather anodyne love story as a football match. The film was inspired by the kind of reality shows which were becoming popular at the time and which have since all but taken over most network television channels - schedule-filling offal such as Big Brother in the UK and its French equivalent Loft Story.

The male lead, Yvan, is played sympathetically by the very capable Serge Hazanavicius, although his talents are largely wasted on this film, which has a tendency to satirise human relationships rather than offer a convincing portrayal. The film's lack of focus and tendency to go for cheap laughs can also be slightly irritating, needlessly weakening the central Delphine-Yvan storyline (indeed, we get to find out very little about the character Delphine).  However, in spite of that, this is a very funny film with a fair amount of laugh-out-loud jokes.  The two main characters may not be as well developed as they should have been, but we do end up having some sympathy for them - although our attention is mainly with Yvan's pal, Thierry, the likeable no-hoper who dreams only of selling inflatable snowmen to the people of Florida. Dominique Farrugia would later return to the rom-com genre with L'Amour, c'est mieux à deux (2010), a somewhat more satisfying variation on the same theme.

Film Synopsis

Yvan and Delphine are a young couple who allow a television film crew to record their day-to-day experiences over a year.  Sports commentators Thierry Roland and Jean-Michel Larqué present Yvan and Delphine's story as a football match, debating the finer points of Yvan's technique and questioning whether he really has what it takes to win through.  Things get off to a bad start when the couple have a disastrous holiday in Greece.  Soon after, Yvan's manages to score, but it turns out to be a home goal: he has a one-night stand with another woman and Delphine sends him packing.  Is the game over or will Yvan, a man with hidden talents (well, he speaks fluent Japanese), find a way to equalise?